US Commander Expects No Reduction in Korea Force
美军司令称驻韩美军预期不会减少

　 
The commander of U.S. forces in Korea says he does not anticipate any reduction in the number of U.S. troops on the peninsula, even as South Korea's army prepares to take responsibility for the country's wartime defense. The commander, General Walter Sharp, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon.

驻韩美军司令夏普将军表示，即使韩国军队准备承担起战时的防卫责任，他也不预期美军在朝鲜半岛的驻军会有任何减少。夏普将军星期三在美国国防部作出这番评论。

General Sharp says the arrival of more efficient and capable units as part of regular rotations could result in some small changes in U.S. troop numbers, but he does not expect any significant reduction in his force of 28,500. And he believes the capabilities of the force are more important than its size.

夏普将军表示，他不预期他指挥的两万八千五百名美军官兵会有任何重大裁减，尽管作为例行轮调的一部分，随著战斗力更强、效率更高的部队抵达韩国，驻韩美军人数会发生小小改变。他并且相信，部队的作战能力要比规模大小重要得多。

"The bottom line for me, in my responsibility as the U.S. commander there, is do we have the forces, both number-wise and capability-wise, in order to be able to do what we need to do in a war fight. But I really would like to try to change the discussion to capabilities."

夏普将军说：“我的底线是，以我身为驻韩美军司令官的责任，我们要保证不论在数量上还是在能力上，我们的部队都能够对付战争时的战斗所需。但是我也很希望将这种讨论转移到作战能力上。”

And the general notes that South Korea's army is much more capable than it used to be, and that it will take responsibility for commanding its own troops in case of war about three-and-a-half years from now, under a U.S.-South Korean agreement.

夏普将军指出，韩国的军队已经比过去的作战能力强很多，而按照美国和韩国的协议，在大约三年半之后，韩国军队将要负起在战时指挥他们自己军队的责任。

Asked about North Korea, General Sharp said he worries "every day" about its nuclear weapons capability and potential proliferation, particularly under its unpredictable leader Kim Jung Il. But the general said there has been no sign of instability since reports Kim had a health crisis two months ago. North Korea has denied the reports. Speculation about Kim's health was fueled by his absence at two major public events in recent months. The North Korean news agency reported Saturday that Kim attended a soccer game, but it provided no pictures or video.

在谈到北韩时，夏普将军表示，是北韩在那位叫人无法推测的领导人金正日的领导下，他每天都担心北韩的核武能力和潜在的核武扩散。但是夏普也表示，自从两个月前爆发出金正日的健康危机以来，还没有出现任何不稳定迹象。北韩已经对这些报导加以否认。对金正日健康的揣测，由于最近几个月金正日在两个主要公开场合缺席而甚嚣尘上。北韩新闻社上星期六报导说，金正日出席了一场足球赛，但是却没有提供照片和录像。

Sharp adds, "Do I have more detail on exactly what happened? There's intel sources that I can't, obviously, share there. But I'm confident that based upon what we see going on in the North, and all the contingencies that we need to be prepared for, we're prepared to react to those, us and the alliance."

夏普将军说：“对于北韩所发生的事我有更详细的了解吗？我们掌握了一些情报，我显然无法和各位分享。但是我有信心，根据我们所观察到的北韩动静，以及我们为所有意外状况而做的准备，我们以及我们的盟邦已经对应付任何情况做好准备。”

South Korea's Yonhap news agency Wednesday quoted South Korean officials as saying North Korea fired two medium-range missiles into the Yellow Sea on Tuesday.

韩国联合新闻社星期三引述韩国官员的话说，北韩星期二向黄海发射了两枚中程导弹。

General Sharp says uncertainty about North Korea's intentions makes it necessary for U.S. and South Korean forces to be able to respond to anything the North could do. He says North Korea could inflict severe damage on South Korea in a surprise attack, but he is confident that U.S. and South Korean forces would win any war the North might start.

夏普将军说，由于北韩意图的不确定性，美国和韩国部队有必要能够对北韩可能做出的任何举动做出反应。夏普说，北韩可以对韩国发动突然进攻而给韩国造成严重损害。但是他有信心，美国和韩国的军队能够打赢任何一场北韩所发动的战争。