A U.S. defense official called to "calibrate" the U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) posture on the Korean Peninsula with a focus on deterring China in East Asia.

At a press briefing Thursday onboard a plane en route to Singapore to accompany Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his attendance at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the official said the U.S. is "prioritizing deterring China."

The official said it is essential to work with South Korea to "modernize" the alliance and "calibrate" U.S. force posture on the peninsula to reflect the realities of the regional security environment.

The official anticipated working with the incoming government in Seoul to ensure that the bilateral partnership is "strategically sustainable," and the allies' combined posture "credibly contributes" to the deterrence against both China and North Korea.

The latest comments appeared to suggest that the Pentagon may consider adjusting the USFK troop level in the future, following a recent report that it is reviewing a reduction of some four-thousand-500 troops out of the 28-thousand-500-member force.