U.S. Forces Korea bolsters ground units ahead of wartime control transfer

The U.S. Forces Korea is moving to strengthen the capabilities of its ground units ahead of the wartime operational control handover to South Korean forces in 2015.

The U.S. military is reported to be bringing MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System units to South Korea.

In addition, the U.S. is replacing older tanks and armored vehicles with the M1A2 Abrams battle tank and the M2A2 Bradley armored vehicles.

The changes are aimed at bolstering the allies against possible gaps in their defenses against North Korea during the handover.

The plans are reported to have been strongly influenced by U.S. Forces Korea commander General James Thurman, who is said to be one of the most combat-oriented commanders to be posted in Seoul in recent years.

Along with the ongoing changes, Thurman recently revealed that he has requested additional equipment to be deployed in South Korea.

“In order to enhance war-fighting capabilities, I have asked for prioritization to receive an additional attack and reconnaissance squadron to bring to our combat aviation brigade,” Thurman said.

According to sources, the plans will see the return of one of the two Apache attack helicopter units extracted from South Korea for deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Thurman also said that he has requested the U.S. government to dispatch an aviation battalion to the U.S. 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and to bolster Patriot missile units based in South Korea.

The U.S. general is also reported to have suggested keeping the Combined Forces Command intact after the handover. The report has been strongly denied by both the South Korean and U.S. militaries.

In addition to updating equipment and requesting the return of assets sent to other regions, the USFK is also said to be considering a more tactical deployment of its units.

According to reports, the U.S. military has suggested plans to maintain the 210th Fires Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division in Dongducheon in northern Gyeonggi Province, even after the rest of the division moves to the new base in Pyeongtaek, 35 kilometers south of Seoul.

The suggested plan is said to have been motivated by the distance between Pyeongtaek and North Korean artillery located just north of the demilitarized zone.

“The U.S. military considered that responding quickly to artillery attacks from North Korea will become difficult if the unit was moved to Pyeongtaek,” an anonymous government official was quoted as saying by a local daily.

The 210th Fires Brigade operates 30 or so multiple launch rocket system units that have a range of about 45 kilometers.

Along with the plans to keep the artillery unit closer to the border with North Korea, Seoul and Washington are also reportedly reviewing plans to establish the U.S.’s 2nd Infantry Division as a unit comprised of a mixture of South Korean and U.S. units.

Although the plans have not been confirmed, observers speculate that a brigade-level unit of the South Korean army will likely be incorporated into the combined unit.

The Combined Forces Command and the 2nd Infantry Division declined to comment on the reports, saying only that their policy was not to comment on operational plans.

Some local experts, however, voice doubt about the feasibility of the plans to form such a unit.

“It would be a very rare occurrence for the U.S. to form a single unit with the armed forces of another country,” Kim Jong-dae, editor-in-chief of the military journal Defense 21, said. He added that such a move could be strenuous for the two nations particularly because the South Korean military’s strengthening of its capabilities would make such a move unnecessary.

He added that the reported plans for keeping the artillery unit in Dongducheon could partly be motivated by the fact the Pyeongtaek base is taking longer to establish than originally planned.

“They were supposed to move by 2012, and now the plans have been delayed until 2016. Even that is considered too early by some experts. But, keeping it there will have strategic value, and lessening the burden on the South Korean military in any way will be helpful.”

Regarding the U.S. forces’ strengthening of their capabilities here, Kim said that the moves are likely to be aimed at countering North Korea rather than being part of the U.S. strategy of focusing more resources in the Pacific.

“The changes mainly concern conventional warfare, so these changes would not concern the U.S.’ overall strategy. The plans for improving missile defenses are more related to the overall strategy.”

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)