Change of command at U.S. 7th Air Force Lt. Gen. David R. Iverson (R), new commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force, receives the flag of the 7th Air Force from Lt. Gen. James A. Jacobson, deputy commander of the Pacific Air Forces, during a change-of-command ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 30, 2024. Iverson also serves as the deputy commander of the U.S. Forces Korea. (Yonhap)
Hono(u)red to be at Osan Air Base today to attend Change of Responsibility for LGEN Cruiser Wilsbach as 7 AF CDR, ACC for CFC and DCDR USFK with a quarantined LGEN Rolls Pleus via FaceBook – Presiding officers Gen Abe Abrams and a virtual PACAF Gen CQ Brown – also by FB Live. pic.twitter.com/bYn6Gh7H0f
For those that haven’t seen this yet, below is the latest curfew order published by the 7th Air Force Commander, Lieutenant General Wilsbach on March 14, 2019 that applies to all Air Force personnel stationed in South Korea:
MEMORANDUM FOR ALL AIR FORCE PERSONNEL IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
FROM: 7 AF/CC (Commander, Air Forces Korea) Unit 2047 APO AP 96278-2047
SUBJECT: 7 AF (AFKOR) General Order Regarding Off-Installation Curfew
1. Background. This order supersedes the 7 AF (AFKOR) Curfew Order dated 11 January 2016. It contains substantial changes, and must be reviewed in its entirety. This order is effective immediately and remains in effect until further notice. This order implements USFK General Order Regarding Off-Installation Curfew (19 December 2014).
2. Purpose. This curfew is imposed in order to bolster operational and mission readiness in this armistice operating environment, to safeguard the vital relationship the United States enjoys with the Republic of Korea, and to more efficiently meet our obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty and implementing arrangements.
3. Applicability. This order applies to all United States Air Force (USAF) military personnel in the Republic of Korea, including those in a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) or temporary duty/temporary additional duty (TDY/TAD) status, except for those Airmen attached or assigned to the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR), the Joint U.S. Military Affairs Group -. Korea (JUSMAG-K), or the Air Force Element of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). USAF military personnel assigned to SOCKOR and the Air Force Element of USFKremain subject to the USFK General Order Regarding Off-Installation Curfew (19 December 2014). Dependents, Department of Defense (DoD) Civilians, and DoD-invited contractors! technical representatives requested and encouraged to abide by this order.
4. Curfew Order. An off-installation curfew is in effect from 0100 until 0500 every day of the year. By 0100, all personnel subject to this order will be (1) on a U.S. military installation, (2) in a private residence; or (3) inside a hotel room (but NOT in any public area of the hotel such as the lounge, bar, lobby, restaurant, casino, pool, spa, or hallway).
5. Exceptions. Paragraph 5 of USFK General Order Regarding Off-Installation Curfew (19December 2014) provides the following exceptions, modified for purposes of this 7 AF order: a. Official duty. Travel during curfew hours directly to and from a location described in paragraph 4(1)-(3) above is authorized for official duty. “Official duty” includes travel for the purposes of attending or participating in Physical Training (PT). 1
b. Leave. Service members on official leave are exempt from curfew. During times of curfew while off a U.S. military installation, service members exempt from curfew must have valid documentation of their official leave authorization on their person.
c. Exceptions granted by 7 AF commanders/directors. Commanders subordinate to me who hold a squadron command or above may, on a case-by-case basis, grant persoimel assigned to their unit written, narrowly-tailored, exceptions to this order. During times of curfew while off a U.S. military installation, service members who have received a written exemption from curfew from their commander must have that written exception on their person.
6. Enforcement. This is a punitive general order. Personnel who violate this order may be punished under Article 92, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and may also face adverse administrative actions as authorized by applicable law and regulations. a. Commanders may dispose of violations of this order in any manner authorized by law or regulation. Dispositions shall be individualized, warranted, appropriate, and fair. b. If a violation of this order occurs under circumstances relating to an allegation of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy, or an attempt to commit such an offense, then the disposition decision for the alleged curfew violation by either the accused or the victim of the sexual offense must be made by a special court-martial convening authority in the grade of Colonel, or higher. c. Commanders shall ensure that I am made personally aware of any violation of this order by a service member in the grade of Senior Master Sergeant or above. Commanders shall comply with any disposition withholding policy in effect for offenses committed by such personnel. d. Unit commanders will ensure all USAF personnel who travel to the Republic of Korea for any other purpose, including to perform TDY/TAD, are made aware of, and fully understand, the punitive nature of this order. 7. Subject to applicable law and regulations, all commanders have authority to impose further restrictions, or to curtail the exceptions in paragraph 5, above, as they deem necessary due tooperational requirements or local conditions. Commanders should consult their servicing legal office regarding the terms of this order and the means and methods of its enforcement.
The 7th Air Force in South Korea is about to get a new commander:
LTG Thomas Bergeson
The Korean government on Thursday conferred a medal of merit to Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the outgoing commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force, for his contribution to peace and stability on the peninsula.
Defense Minister Song Young-moo gave Bergeson the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, on behalf of the Korean government, his office said. Bergeson, who took the commander post in July 2016, is set to leave the position next week.
“[Bergeson] has contributed greatly to safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a show of strong deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said.
“He was recognized for his contribution to establishing the strong combined defense posture by enhancing the combined operations capabilities,” it added.
Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the commander of the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, is set to succeed Bergeson. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
Gen. Vincent Brooks (L), commander of United States Forces Korea, hands over the flag of the 7th Air Force to Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, new deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the 7th Air Force commander, during a ceremony at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, on July 8, 2016, to mark Bergeson`s inauguration. (Yonhap)
A new deputy chief of United States Forces Korea (USFK) took command on Friday, vowing to put more effort into enhancing the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea so as to forge an “ever stronger” partnership, the U.S. military said.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Bergeson took office as the deputy commander of the United Nations Command and the USFK, replacing Lt. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy in the ceremony held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, the USFK’s Seventh Air Force said in a statement.
With the new position, Bergeson also serves as the commanding general of the Seventh Air Force, as well as the air commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command.
“I look forward to enhancing the capabilities of our team and transforming the alliance into an ever stronger partnership,” Bergeson said.
He stressed the role of South Korea as a “key contributor” to regional peace.
“We will continue to refocus our training and exercises in order to maximize our combat capability and enhance our readiness to ‘fight tonight.'”
His inauguration came at a critical time when Seoul and Washington are deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), an advanced U.S. missile defense system, on South Korean soil.
If THAAD is deployed with the USFK, the chief commander of the Seventh Air Force will effectively be in charge of controlling the THAAD unit on behalf of the USFK commander, according to a South Korean military official.
Bergeson served as the director at the Pentagon’s legislative liaison for the U.S. Air Force secretary. He is an F-15 and F-22 pilot who has a more than 3,100 hours of flight time under his belt, the U.S. military said.
O’Shaughnessy will assume command of the Pacific Air Force at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, it also said. [Yonhap]
Lieutenant General O’Shaughnessy in my opinion was a great commander for 7th Air Force and will do great things at PACAF as well.
