The US Defense Department justifies this change as part of the so-called "Global Posture Review" that it has been carrying out to provide more flexibility and mobility in deploying troops to more urgently needed places around the world. But the unilateral nature of the announcement, and the abrupt timing of the plan, has incited alarm in South Korea, and perhaps in Japan, that withdrawal could pose serious risks to the vital role that US forces have performed in deterring another war in Korea.
美国防部称上述变动是所谓"驻外美军重新部署计划"的组成部分，目的是更灵活机动地把军队部署到全球更急需的地区。但通告的单边性质和撤军的紧迫日程在韩国引起了恐慌，日本可能也一样，害怕这次撤军会使美军遏制另一次朝鲜战争的任务面临严重的危机。