U.S. Capitol Building. Yonhap News Archive Photo 

The final version of next year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which imposes restrictions on the U.S. administration unilaterally reducing the size of U.S. Forces Korea, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on the 10th (local time).

According to the Associated Press, the consolidated Senate and House version of the NDAA for fiscal year 2026 (October 2025-September 2026) was passed by a vote of 312 in favor and 112 against in a plenary session of the House of Representatives today. Once the bill passes the House, it will take effect after passing the Senate and being signed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The NDAA, which passed the House today, includes a provision stating that funds approved through the bill cannot be used to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Korea below the current level of 28,500.

It also stipulated that funds cannot be used to complete the transfer of wartime operational control of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command from the U.S. command to the Korean command in a manner that deviates from an agreed-upon plan.

However, the bill includes a proviso that the prohibition will be lifted after 60 days if the relevant standing committee receives a confirmation that the action is consistent with U.S. national security interests or that appropriate consultations have been held with allies, including countries that contribute militarily to the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the UN Command.

The NDAA is an annual bill that approves the budget and policies of the U.S. Department of Defense. Provisions related to U.S. Forces Korea were passed by the House in September and the Senate in October, and the bicameral conference committee recently concluded its work.

The provision restricting the use of NDAA funds for reducing U.S. Forces Korea reappears for the first time in five years. It was included in the NDAA for fiscal years 2019-2021 during the first term of the Donald Trump administration to check unilateral reductions by the administration, disappeared during the Joe Biden administration, and has now been restored.

Including these provisions, the fiscal year 2026 defense budget agreed upon by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is a total of $910 billion (approximately 1,300 trillion won), an increase of $8 billion from the budget request made by the Trump administration.

The bill also includes new regulations restricting U.S. investment in certain Chinese technologies, which is seen as a bipartisan effort to block U.S. capital from flowing into China's artificial intelligence (AI) and military technology development.