According to the chief of United States Forces in Korea, GEN Vincent Brooks, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system will be deployed to South Korea sometime in the next eight to ten months. Brooks’ remarks also suggested that the South Korean battery would be larger than the one currently deployed in Guam. The THAAD deployment is motivated by an increasing number of North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile tests. According to a Yonhap report, the deployment decision has led China to cease all high-level defense discussions with South Korea, some of which date as far back as 2011.