America's defense budget for next year has been sent to President Trump to be signed.<br />It passed the Senate easily with bipartisan support.<br />The bill makes it official policy that American troops cannot be withdrawn from South Korea in significant numbers as part of any bargain with North Korea.<br />It also says the U.S. seeks the North's "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization."<br />Kim Hyo-sun reports. <br /> The U.S. Senate passed a 716 billion U.S. dollar defense bill on Wednesday with 87 votes in favor and ten against. <br />The National Defense Authorization Act,... which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week will now be sent to the White House for President Trump's expected signature.<br /> The bill sets the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea as a major goal of Washington's diplomacy,... noting that the North's nuclear program poses a grave threat to not only the U.S. but also the Indo-Pacific region. <br />It also prohibits the use of the defense budget to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to under 22-thousand unless the defense secretary can show that such a move does not significantly undermine the security of Washington's allies in the region and it has been fully consulted with its allies, including Seoul and Tokyo.<br /> The bill includes tough measures on China,... including a ban on Beijing's participation in the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises until it stops militarizing islands in the South China Sea. <br />The bi-annual joint drill is a large naval exercise that involves 26 nations to showcase their military cooperation.<br />The legislation also requires the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review whether Beijing's investment in the U.S. threatens national security,... while intensifying export controls on U.S. technology. <br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News. <br />
