Pentagon considers halting plan to beef up U.S. forces in Japan: reports

The United States could stop a planned expansion of its forces in Japan as part of efforts to slash Defense Department spending, CNN reported Wednesday.

If the administration of President Donald Trump goes ahead, it could undermine the ongoing process to upgrade the role of Japan-based U.S. forces amid rising security challenges posed by China and North Korea.

CNN and NBC News, which was first to report that the administration was reconsidering the plan, based on a Pentagon briefing document, said the cancellation could save about $1 billion.

The halt is one of the options under consideration by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government and reorganize the military's combatant commands and headquarters, the two media outlets said.

Under the administration of Trump's predecessor Joe Biden, the United States and Japan agreed to improve the command functions of the U.S. forces in Japan to help the allies better coordinate and respond to contingencies.

CNN and NBC News said the other cost-saving plans include merging the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Africa Command into a single structure based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a joint statement saying they are "very concerned" about the Pentagon's reported plans.

"We support continuing America's leadership abroad. As such, we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress," the chairmen said.

"Such moves risk undermining American deterrence around the globe and detracting from our negotiating positions with America's adversaries," they said.

CNN said the briefing document was prepared by U.S. defense officials earlier in March for senior leaders, with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency aggressively targeting the federal civil service and pressuring government agencies to make drastic spending cuts.