Nikkei highlighted a Pentagon announcement on Wednesday that starting on Friday, U.S. service members and their dependents will be prohibited from traveling to and from South Korea, Italy, China, and Iran for the next 60 days because of the massive coronavirus outbreaks there. In making the announcement, Defense Secretary Esper underscored that the Pentagon’s top priority remains the protection and welfare of U.S. military personnel. The daily expressed concern about a possible decline in the U.S. military’s deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, as the travel restriction is bound to have adverse effects on the flexible deployment of U.S. troops.