What Constitutes ROK Self Reliance?

The USFK Commander General B.B. Bell recently spoke in front of the US House Armed Services Committee about the situation on the Korean peninsula.  Really nothing ground breaking, but he rightfully brings up the announcement of a ROK military draw down:

The USFK chief cited worries over the reduction of troops and military service cuts in accordance with Seoul’s Defense Reform Plan 2020. "It is our hope that [South Korea] carefully consider these large force cuts unless they are matched by similar North Korean reductions,” he said.

The statement was unexpected, since Bell neither discussed the matter with Korea’s Defense Ministry nor notified it. The 2020 Defense Reform Plan envisions cutting South Korean troops from about 680,000 to 500,000 by 2020, and Seoul recently decided to shorten compulsory military service by six months, from 24 for Army and Marines to 18 by 2014.

This reduction in forces may or may not happen due to a new administration taking over the Blue House next year.  The force reductions and mandatory service reduction I think are just election year gimmicks by President Roh.  When a new president takes over I’m sure national security related matters such as potential force reductions will get a thorough review. 

Interestingly enough General Bell also commented on perceptions of the younger generation of Korea on the USFK presence:

Turning to perceptions among South Koreans of the threat, Bells said, “As memories of American sacrifices in the Korean War fade, Korean citizens, seeking what they see as a more equal alliance relationship, question the importance of our long-standing alliance. Many raise the issue of [South Korean] sovereignty, and a desire for what they characterize as more self-reliance and independence."

The ROK Army today is self reliant enough to defeat any North Korean attack without US military assistance, however the war would be more protracted and the devastation to the peninsula would be extensive compared to a war that would be ended quicker with US military assistance. 

Plus the ROK government is saving a lot of money by not having to buy systems such as signal intelligence, early warning, among a host of other technical systems that the US military is providing for Korea free of charge.  Jodi has a discussion going on her site about this issue of Korean self reliance and she brings up that the ROK military may never be truly self reliant unless the US leaves and the Korean government is forced to buy the systems the US currently provides for them.  My fear is they won’t spend the money to buy these systems and keep drinking the "sunshine" kool-aid that the Norks are really just misunderstood brothers and hope for the best.  Hoping for the best is not a national security strategy, but with the current Korean government it is. 

The US has security agreements with many nations around the world such as Germany, Italy, Australia, UK, Japan, etc.  Are any of these nations not self reliant?  The next time you hear someone in Korea complaining about self reliance just simply point out the delays for moving the 2nd Infantry Division off the DMZ and Yongsan Garrison out of Seoul.  Then the next thing to point out is the operational control delay.   If anyone in Korea feels like their nation isn’t self reliant then it is clearly a situation of their own making and their own government is doing everything possible not to change it.