Senior lawmakers on the U.S. House and Senate armed services committees introduced on Tuesday a revised National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) for fiscal year 2022, which seeks to maintain the size of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea.

The new bill underlined the need to boost the South Korea-U.S. alliance and maintain the current presence of 28-thousand-500 troops in South Korea. 

The bill assessed that keeping this level complies with the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea and supports the joint objective of establishing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. 

The latest version of the NDAA combined both the House and Senate bills. The House passed its version in September while the Senate bill had been stalled because of scheduling delays and differences over amendments.

The compromised bill worth 768 billion dollars stipulates funding for the Defense Department and other defense operations for next year. It’s expected to be passed by the full House soon before being sent to the Senate.