The Pentagon has announced a shift in its defense approach toward North Korea. According to a policy document released on Friday, South Korea will take the main role in deterring North Korea's threats, with the US providing "critical but more limited" support. South Korea currently hosts about 28,500 US troops and has boosted its defense budget by 7.5% this year to strengthen its military. The National Defense Strategy document said, "South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited US support." It also said, "This shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating US force posture on the Korean Peninsula." In recent years, some US officials have expressed the need for US forces in South Korea to be more flexible, able to operate outside the peninsula to face broader threats, including defending Taiwan and countering China’s military growth. South Korea has resisted changing the role of US troops but has enhanced its own defense, including plans to take wartime command of combined US-South Korean forces. South Korea's military has 450,000 troops. The National Defense Strategy also highlighted the Pentagon’s focus on defending the US homeland. In the Indo-Pacific, it said the goal is to prevent China from dominating the US or its allies. The document added, "This does not require regime change or some other existential struggle. Rather, a decent peace, on terms favourable to Americans but that China can also accept and live under, is possible." Notably, Taiwan was not mentioned by name. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out force to gain control. Taiwan insists only its people can decide their future.