A former senior adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has recommended reducing the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea from the current 28-thousand-500 to around ten-thousand. 

Dan Caldwell made the recommendation in a report co-authored with Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at the U.S. think tank Defense Priorities.

In the report, released Wednesday, the authors said the U.S. military posture in East Asia should be realigned to focus on balancing Chinese power and protecting U.S. interests. 

The report then recommended cutting all ground combat units not tied to base security from South Korea, along with army signal, intelligence and headquarters units, and some of their associated support and sustainment units. 

It said that this would remove most of the 2nd Infantry Division from the Korean Peninsula, including the rotational Brigade Combat Team and army combat aviation units. 

The report also recommended moving two fighter squadrons from U.S. bases in South Korea back to the U.S.

It said these steps would reduce the total U.S. military presence in South Korea by more than 50 percent, leaving about ten-thousand personnel along with two fighter squadrons and support forces.