Overview
- Gen. Xavier Brunson told senators Tuesday that the U.S. has not moved any THAAD batteries out of South Korea and that missile interceptors have been sent forward and are waiting to move.
- He said radar units tied to the system were pushed out before Operation Midnight Hammer in June and that some of those items have not yet returned.
- Brunson said he shifted equipment through Osan Air Base in recent weeks, which he said fueled confusion after reports that the system was being redeployed.
- A Washington Post story in March on parts moving to the Middle East prompted concern in Seoul that defenses against the North could be weakened.
- In written testimony, Adm. Samuel Paparo warned that North Korea’s growing ties with Russia and its advancing nuclear and missile work raise the risk to the United States and its allies.