U.S. Plan to Shift Korea Forces Still a 'Go'

DoD-AFPS ^ | April 1, 2004 | Gerry J. Gilmore

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

U.S. Plan to Shift Korea Forces Still a 'Go'

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2004 – The U.S. military's top officer in South Korea says plans are in motion to move 2nd Infantry Division troops away from the north- south border region and most other forces out of the capital city of Seoul.

American troops have been deployed at the Demilitarized Zone and in several encampments near the northern border to deter potential aggression from the North since the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. A sizable U.S. military presence also has been maintained in Seoul to support United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea headquarters.

That's all changing, Army Gen. Leon J. LaPorte told the House Armed Services Committee March 31 in prepared testimony. Most American troops will be moved out of Seoul by the end of 2007, the general reported, and all of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division that's currently patrolling the region north of Seoul will be moved south of Seoul by 2008.

Existing military facilities at Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys, both located south of Seoul, LaPorte noted, are being expanded and upgraded to accept the redeployed forces.

The movement of troops will "transform the United States basing posture from its inefficient post-Korean War posture to a stable, less intrusive footprint," LaPorte explained, while focusing "construction investments into enduring facilities within the two hubs south of the Han River." The river runs through Seoul.

About 37,000 U.S. forces now serve in South Korea, LaPorte said. A recent U.S.- South Korea agreement, he added, calls for the transfer of certain U.S. military missions to the Republic of Korea over the next three years.

However, "these changes will not decrease readiness or deterrence" efforts on the Korean peninsula, LaPorte vowed, noting that South Korea's modern military has 680,000 active duty troops, with a reserve force of 3 million.

Factors enabling the realignment of U.S. forces in Korea include South Korea's improved military force posture and U.S. forces' "state-of-the-art operational capabilities," LaPorte explained.

Today, he noted, the U.S.-South Korean alliance presents "a potent, integrated team … with the military capabilities to defeat any provocation on the Korean peninsula, deterring escalation that could destabilize the region."

Biography:
Gen. Leon J. LaPorte

Related Sites:
Gen. Leon J. LaPorte's March 31, 2004, Prepared Testimony for the House Armed Services Committee
U.S. Forces Korea
House Armed Services Committee

Related Articles:
North Korea Threatens Northeast Asian, World Security
U.S. to Move Military Forces From Seoul, DMZ

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

American troops have been deployed at the Demilitarized Zone and in several encampments near the northern border to deter potential aggression from the North since the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. A sizable U.S. military presence also has been maintained in Seoul to support United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea headquarters.

That's all changing, Army Gen. Leon J. LaPorte told the House Armed Services Committee March 31 in prepared testimony. Most American troops will be moved out of Seoul by the end of 2007..

"...the U.S.-South Korean alliance presents "a potent, integrated team … with the military capabilities to defeat any provocation on the Korean peninsula, deterring escalation that could destabilize the region."

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[cripplecreek]

Maybe we should send NK a messege explaining the dangers of radioactive fallout before we leave.

[fiftymegaton]

Good get them away from DPRK artillery.

[Congressman Billybob]

Of course the US forces and HQ in Seoul are moving south. They should not be in range of the 10,000+ NK artillery pieces that can reach Seoul from their positions just north of the DMZ. This move is a practical adjustment to prepare for a new and final war on the Korean peninsula.

No surprises in this. And it represents a move toward effective defense and counterattack, rather then a retreat of any kind. Did I miss anything?

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread). Please do it now.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Hmmmm? Will Kim now take the bait?

[blackie]

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This move is a practical adjustment to prepare for a new and final war on the Korean peninsula.

Shouldn't they move the city of Seoul as well?

[xzins]

The 2nd most important point to me is that S. Korea's military has long been more than a match for the N. Koreans.

The old Team Spirit exercises demonstrated that time and again. Additionally, N. Korea has exactly one strike capacity good for about 5 days. When that is over they better own the whole peninsula or they're in really deep kimchi.

The primary point is that I don't believe US presence in S. Korea has as much to do with N. Korea as it has to do with a valuable staging location on the Asian continent proximate to Japan (buffer), China, and Russia.

US overseas presence reflects our longheld belief that it's best to break things in the other guy's back yard rather than your own.

[Congressman Billybob]

Actually, from talking to some artillery officers, I don't think the NK batteries will do serious damage in the event of a new Korean War. Our aerial attacks will silence many of them. And those that remain will do minor rather than critical damage.

Still, it is a general rule not to have one's HQ within cannon range of the other side. Just a thought.

John / Billybob

[Sam the Sham]

The 2nd most important point to me is that S. Korea's military has long been more than a match for the N. Koreans.

I once attended a lecture where I heard about how white bread and marmalade halted the German 1918 storm troop offensive.

For three years, German soldiers had been starving on horsemeat and beans (when lucky). Their propaganda told them that thanks to the U-Boat War, the British were in even worse shape. Well, when they launched the Stormtroop offensive in March 1918 which broke the British line, they overran British rear area depots full of real food. When they saw with their own eyes the falsity of their propaganda their morale collapsed.

Starving North Korean troops will be too busy looting to do any advancing.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[ASA Vet]

Did I miss anything?

You covered it except for a post Korea War II map graphic.

[AmericanVictory]

We pointed out the wisdom of this on this forum many months ago. It is the smart thing to do.