Washington: The Pentagon said that no final decision has been made regarding the status of a US Army squadron in South Korea, rejecting reports that the unit had been deactivated, South Korean media reported on Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency, a Pentagon official told Yonhap News, "No decision has been made and we do not comment on pre-decisional force structure matters." This statement followed a Congressional Research Service report claiming that the 5th Air Cavalry Squadron at Camp Humphreys, a key US base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, ceased operations in December. The official emphasized that the matter remains pre-decisional.

On Friday, South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also stated that the deactivation of a US Army squadron is part of a broader US military transformation and not a sign of an American troop drawdown. Ahn mentioned he will visit Camp Humphreys next week to discuss the issue with US military officials.

South Korea is one of the US's oldest and closest allies, hosting around 28,500 American soldiers on the Korean Peninsula.