Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday that the stationing of American troops on the Korean Peninsula is very important to U.S. security interests.

Answering questions before a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Milley explained that the goal of stationing troops in South Korea is to prevent the outbreak of another Korean War.

He said he believes the prevention of such a war furthers U.S. security regarding stability in Northeast Asia and beyond.

He added that maintaining the mutual defense treaty between South Korea and the United States and keeping U.S. troops on the peninsula are critical to U.S. security interests.

Coming amid protracted negotiations between Seoul and Washington over sharing the costs of maintaining U.S. troops on the peninsula, Milley’s comments seem to refute calls by some in the U.S. to reduce the scope of the American deployment.