A senior U.S. defense official has dismissed reports that the Trump administration wants its allies, including South Korea,... to pay "cost-plus-50 percent" for the stationing of American troops in their country.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports. <br />According to reports by Bloomberg and other news outlets,... Washington wants its allies to pay "cost-plus-50" for the stationing of American troops,... meaning U.S. allies in Asia and Europe would pay the full cost of hosting U.S. troops and 50 percent more for the privilege.<br />However, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday,.. acting U.S. defense secretary Patrick Shanahan denied the reports,... calling them erroneous.<br />Despite shooting down reports of a so-called "premium service",... Shanahan said the U.S. is "not going to run a business" and it's "not going to run a charity". <br />He added the important part is that the allies pay their fair share,... with payments coming in via "lots of different forms".<br />According to the Washington Post,... although the acting defense secretary said the Pentagon would not take such an approach,... the formula has been circulating within the Trump administration. <br />It cited sources familiar with the matter as saying the "cost-plus-50" formulation was mentioned to at least one country in a formal negotiation setting. <br />Observers say such an approach could potentially risk the long standing alliance between the U.S. and its friends around the world.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. <br />
