VOA标准英语10月-US Commander Expects No Reduction in Korea Force

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 defense¹. The commander, General Walter Sharp, spoke² Wednesday at the Pentagon, and VOA's Al Pessin reports.

General Sharp says the arrival of more efficient and capable units as part of regular rotations³ 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 capabilities⁴ of the force are more important than its size.

"The bottom line for me, in my responsibility as the U.S. commander there, is do we have the forces, both number-wise and capability⁵-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."

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.
　

Replicas6 of North Korea's Scud-B missile (C) and South Korean missiles at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul on October 8, 2008.

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. Speculation⁷ 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.

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 contingencies⁸ that we need to be prepared for, we're prepared to react to those, us and the alliance."

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.

General Sharp says uncertainty⁹ 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 inflict¹⁰ 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.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 rotations   

旋转( rotation的名词复数 )； 转动； 轮流； 轮换

参考例句：

• Farmers traditionally used long-term rotations of hay, pasture, and corn. 农民以往长期实行干草、牧草和玉米轮作。
• The crankshaft makes three rotations for each rotation of the rotor. 转子每转一周，曲轴转3周。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

7 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

8 contingencies   

n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一

参考例句：

• We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。
• We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

9 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。