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USFK's status, role in limbo as Pentagon moves to slash four-star generals

Published: 07 May. 2025, 14:16 Updated: 07 May. 2025, 20:23

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump meets with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 24. [AP/YONHAP]

The U.S. Department of Defense’s plan to reduce the number of four-star generals by 20 percent could impact the status of the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

This aligns with the Trump administration’s policy to streamline global military deployments and selectively engage in foreign affairs based on national interest. Insiders believe this may inevitably lead to an adjustment in the role of USFK.

Fewer generals for greater efficiency

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formalized the reduction plan concerning the Pentagon’s senior leadership by signing a memo on Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The plan includes cutting at least 20 percent of active-duty four-star general officers, 20 percent of National Guard general officers, and an additional 10 percent of all general officers across the military.

The U.S. military currently has around 800 general officers across the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Navy, with 44 holding a four-star rank.

“We won World War II with seven four-star generals,” Hegseth said in a town hall at the Pentagon in February. “Today, we have 44 four-star generals. There’s an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We don’t need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom.”

Hegseth said in the memo that the military must be "unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness" to "drive innovation and operational excellence,” and the plan would involve “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions."

If realized, the plan would eliminate at least nine four-star positions.

Korean Marines check their equipment before a repel exercise in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, during joint drills with U.S. forces on March 12. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA MARINE CORPS]

Possible USFK role adjustment

Some defense officials and observers say the position of the USFK commander, currently a four-star role, could be downgraded. The USFK commander concurrently serves as head of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and senior U.S. military officer in Korea, but these roles could theoretically be reassigned to a three-star officer.

If USFK's mission evolves from a focus on deterring North Korea to a broader role in countering China, it would not be unprecedented for the commander to hold a three-star rank. In fact, the Pentagon's Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, released in March, prioritized defending Taiwan from Chinese threats and delegated other deterrence roles to allied forces.

“The key issue is where the U.S. places its strategic focus in countering China,” said Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. “If more weight is placed on U.S. Forces Japan rather than USFK, adjustments to USFK’s role become more feasible.”

Japan’s former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani recently proposed a “One Theater” concept to Hegseth, which may also influence USFK’s strategic flexibility. This concept envisions integrating the military capabilities of South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines into a unified operational theater covering the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

If Japan leads this strategy, the current three-star U.S. Forces Japan commander could be promoted to a four-star rank, while the USFK commander might be downgraded to three stars. This has led to suggestions that for South Korea to maintain the USFK commander’s current rank, it must more actively support U.S. efforts to counter China.

U.S. soldiers salute during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and the United States Forces Korea (USFK) at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 20, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

Four-star Korean, three-star American?

The transfer of wartime operational control may also be a factor. Under a 2018 agreement, South Korea would assume wartime command of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, with a Korean four-star general leading a force that includes U.S. personnel.

If the Trump administration concludes it is inefficient for both the Korean head of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the U.S. deputy to hold four stars, it may downgrade the USFK commander to a three-star role and have that person serve as deputy.

This would align with the strategic guidance’s proposal to transfer the lead role in North Korea deterrence to Seoul while streamlining U.S. force management.

On the other hand, some argue that the USFK commander’s downgrade lacks strategic viability due to the geopolitical importance of East Asia. They note that separating the China containment strategy from the North Korea deterrence mission is impractical, and that military restructuring may not be completed during Trump’s term.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG,LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]