Photo : YONHAP News

Anchor: U.S. President Joe Biden says his country will conduct a review of its global force posture as he gave his first foreign policy address. He also said that he would freeze the Trump-ordered withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: Declaring that “America is back,” U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled on Thursday his administration’s foreign policy for the first time since taking office last month.

[Sound bite: US President Joe Biden (English)]
“We will compete from a position of strength by building back better at home, working with our allies and partners, renewing our role in international institutions, and reclaiming our credibility and moral authority, much of which has been lost.”

As global challenges that need to be addressed, Biden cited the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and nuclear proliferation, saying that such challenges can be solved by nations working together.

Biden said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will lead a global force review, and while this review is taking place, Washington will be freezing any planned troop withdrawals from Germany.

[Sound bite: US President Joe Biden (English)]
“To begin, Defense Secretary Austin will be leading a Global Posture Review of our forces so that our military footprint is appropriately aligned with our foreign policy and national security priorities.”

His remarks suggest that Washington will fully scrap a plan devised by the Trump administration to pull out 12-thousand U.S. troops stationed in Germany as a response to the country failing to meet NATO targets on defense spending.

Biden’s plans regarding the European nation are likely to affect South Korea-U.S. negotiations on sharing costs for the upkeep of U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula.

Although Biden cited nuclear nonproliferation as a major agenda, he didn’t make reference to North Korea or Iran in his address.

In a press briefing earlier in the day, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that the U.S. is still conducting a review of its policy towards Pyongyang.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio.