U.S. Announces Plans to Pull 15,000 Troops Out of Asia

WASHINGTON — The Bush Administration today announced plans to withdraw up to 15,000 U.S. troops from Asia within three years and more later, turning the lead defense role in South Korea over to Korean forces by the end of the century.

But Undersecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said the troop levels will be cut cautiously to avoid sending “a false and dangerous signal,” particularly to North Korea, of U.S. withdrawal from Asia.

Wolfowitz told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Administration plans to cut 7,000 U.S. troops from the 44,400 in South Korea over the next three years, 5,000 to 6,000 from the 50,000 in Japan and 2,000 from the 14,800 in the Philippines.