VOA标准英语2014--US, S. Korea Delay Transfer of Wartime Forces Control

 

US, S. Korea Delay Transfer of Wartime Forces Control

PENTAGON— 

The United States has agreed to an indefinite delay in handing over wartime control of troops on the Korean peninsula to South Korea. The U.S. has held wartime authority over South Korean troops since the Korean War in the early 1950s. A transfer of authority had been scheduled for next year.

Secretary of Defense¹ Chuck Hagel on Thursday welcomed South Korean Defense Minister Han Min Koo to the Pentagon, where the two signed an agreement outlining a conditions-based process for transferring wartime control of forces in South Korea to the South Korean military in the future.

“While this agreement will delay the transfer of operational control, it will ensure that when a transfer does occur, Korean forces will have necessary capabilities² to address an intensifying³ North Korean threat,” said Hagel.

North Korea has launched a series of rockets off its coast in what it has called test firings.

Korea expert Joel Wit said this makes the continued need for a strong U.S.-South Korea defense as urgent as ever.

“Despite the U.S. effort at being patient - because our policy is called strategic patience - North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are advancing,” said Wit.

North Korea’s recent positive gestures, from the release this week of an American held for months by Pyongyang, to its unexpected sending of a high-level delegation⁴ to Seoul, have left experts puzzled.

But these actions are baby steps where giant leaps are needed to decrease tensions, according to American Enterprise Institute’s Michael Auslin.

"If North Korea wanted to act in any cooperative way even remotely like a normal power, it would. You wouldn't have to negotiate with it. You wouldn't have to blackmail⁵ it. You wouldn't have to beg it,” said Auslin.

North Korea has flaunted⁶ missile capabilities, but Secretary Hagel told reporters there have not been formal consultations⁷ about placing an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.

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 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

3 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

4 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

5 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

6 flaunted   

v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来

参考例句：

• She flaunted the school rules by not wearing the proper uniform. 她不穿规定的校服，以示对校规的藐视。 来自互联网
• Ember burning with reeds flaunted to the blue sky. 芦苇燃烧成灰烬，撒向蔚蓝的苍穹。 来自互联网

7 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》