The US Capitol building in Washington, D.C. [Getty Images]
The US Capitol building in Washington, D.C. [Getty Images]

The US House of Representatives has passed the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, strengthening guardrails against reductions in US Forces Korea and, for the first time, explicitly citing the need for shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea. Analysts say the legislation makes it significantly harder for President Donald Trump to unilaterally pursue a USFK drawdown.

The NDAA is the annual legislation that authorizes US defense spending and policy. The bill is seen as significant both for preemptively blocking a sudden USFK reduction by the Trump administration and for specifically naming South Korea as a partner in efforts to expand American shipbuilding capacity.

The fiscal year 2027 NDAA passed the full House on Wednesday by a vote of 216 to 212. The bill is valued at $1.15 trillion.

The legislation prohibits the use of funds to reduce USFK below its current level of 28,500 troops. Notably, that restriction now extends beyond NDAA appropriations to cover funds authorized under other laws for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

The existing NDAA bars only funds appropriated under the NDAA itself from being used for a troop reduction. By broadening the scope of that restriction, the new bill raises the barrier against the kind of USFK drawdown Trump has previously floated.

Trump has not formally pursued a USFK reduction or made public statements about the possibility, but calls to prepare for such a scenario have grown louder.

In May, Trump moved to cut 5,000 US troops in Germany, citing, among other grievances, Berlin's lack of cooperation during the Iran war.

The omission of language pledging to "maintain the current force level of USFK" from the joint statement of the Security Consultative Meeting in November last year also prompted speculation that a reduction or role adjustment for USFK was being considered.

The House NDAA also includes, for the first time, language recognizing the need to expand shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea to strengthen US naval capacity and develop the American shipbuilding workforce.

The provision singles out South Korea as a partner in the broader effort to bolster domestic shipbuilding capability in support of US naval power.

The language appears in a "sense of Congress" section addressed to the secretary of defense. While a sense of Congress carries no legal force — it is separate from binding statutory text — it signals the direction of congressional policy.

The House NDAA also appears to include a provision barring the use of funds to procure battle force ships built at foreign shipyards.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) issued a press release Wednesday announcing the bill's passage, highlighting that he had secured "a provision specifying that no funds authorized by the fiscal year 2027 NDAA may be used on procurement contracts for battle force ships constructed at foreign shipyards."

Because the spending prohibition is limited to "battle force ships," the provision leaves room for funds to be used for the overseas construction of auxiliary vessels and support ships. Golden appeared to be targeting the release at shipbuilding workers in his district, but the carve-out could be read as an opportunity by South Korea's shipbuilding industry.

The United States generally prohibits the construction of naval vessels abroad under the Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment. The South Korean government and shipbuilding industry are hoping Trump will use his executive authority to grant an exception allowing US naval ships to be built in South Korea, and are also seeking cooperation from Congress.

The two countries have agreed to direct $150 billion of a $350 billion South Korean investment commitment to the United States toward shipbuilding cooperation. On Thursday, the Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center is set to open in Washington, D.C., with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan in attendance.

The vote largely broke along party lines. All but seven Republicans voted in favor, while all but six Democrats voted against.

The Senate is conducting its own separate NDAA process. Once each chamber passes its version, the two bills will be reconciled into a single measure, which must then clear both chambers again before being sent to the president for his signature.

Also on Wednesday, the House passed a separate Republican-led spending package of $95 billion covering the Iran war and other key Trump administration policy priorities, by a vote of 216 to 214.

The package allocates $60 billion to the Defense Ministry, $13 billion to other national security items, $12 billion to farmer support, and $10 billion in subsidies to states for implementing voter ID laws.

The Trump administration has argued it needs additional fiscal support to replenish defense funds depleted by the Iran war before the fiscal year 2027 defense budget is finalized.

The spending package is designed to serve as a bridge, filling the gap in defense funding until a regular budget is in place.

Democrats, however, voted unanimously against the package, arguing the money should instead go toward reducing the cost of living for ordinary Americans.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com