Former U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) Commander General Robert Abrams has suggested that the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea could be mobilized in the event that China attacks Taiwan.

The retired four-star general made the suggestion when asked about the possibility by Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.

If China attacks Taiwan, he said, it is up to the U.S. to decide how it will mobilize its forces, but added that even if some USFK troops were deployed to such a conflict, the South Korea-U.S. alliance has a range of options to maintain deterrence against North Korea.

Abrams stopped short, however, of elaborating on such options.

Meanwhile, RAND Corporation researcher Bruce Bennett assessed that the proximity to Taiwan of the U.S. Air Force bases in Osan or Gunsan compared to those on the U.S. mainland raises the probability that aerial forces would be sortied from South Korea.