The Pentagon said Wednesday that the United States will adjust the services provided by South Korean workers on its military bases on the peninsula if the two countries fail to reach a defense cost-sharing deal in the coming weeks. 

Rear Admiral William Byrne, vice director of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a press briefing at the Pentagon that nine thousand is a pretty significant number, referring to the South Korean employees at the U.S. Forces Korea(USFK). 

The vice director said that the U.S. is continuing negotiations, and there are options -- big, medium and small -- with respect to numbers. He continued that the U.S. hopes the negotiations uncover a viable path so that those services continue.

He said that if needed, the U.S. will have to prioritize what services those workers provide, adding it will have to focus on life, health and safety.

Earlier this week, USFK Commander Robert Abrams warned against a looming furlough amid stalled defense cost-sharing negotiations.

About nine-thousand South Korean workers face a furlough in April if the allies fail to renew the Special Measures Agreement on sharing the cost for stationing 28-thousand-500 American troops on the peninsula.