Category: USFK

I think the situation on the peninsula would have to get very unstable before the U.S. military would consider redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on to the peninsula:

 A ranking member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday proposed the idea of redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear arms to South Korea to beef up deterrence, noting the absence of any immediate diplomatic solution to North Korea’s nuclear quandary.

Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) made the proposal in a report, titled “21st Century Peace Through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military,” in which he stressed Pyongyang continues to “outpace expectations” about its nuclear and missile programs with capabilities to target the continental United States.

“Because there is no immediate diplomatic solution in sight, the United States must ensure that deterrence does not erode on the Korean Peninsula,” the senator said in the report.

“That means maintaining readiness with regular U.S.-Republic of Korea military exercises, keeping a persistent U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula and exploring new options — such as nuclear-sharing agreements in the Indo-Pacific and redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula — to bolster deterrence on the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

No foul play is suspected which likely means either a medical emergency of some kind or suicide; tragic either way:

A 22-year-old soldier stationed at Camp Humphreys was found unresponsive in his barracks Wednesday and later pronounced dead, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. Spc. Jaggert Oakes, of Barberton, Ohio, was a human resources specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd ID Sustainment Brigade, the command said in a news release Friday.

Oakes was pronounced dead at 10:23 a.m. Wednesday at Humphrey’s Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, according to the release. No criminal activity is suspected but the base’s Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the death, the release said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read the rest at the link, but condolences to SPC Oakes’ friends and family.

This would probably be an interesting meeting to be a fly on the wall and listen in to:

The military is planning to hold a rare meeting between major South Korean and U.S. Forces Korea special operations officials later this month to discuss ways to improve special warfare capabilities amid North Korea’s threats, Seoul’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

South Korea operates special forces units separately under the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps, and regularly stages combined drills with U.S. Special Operations Command Korea troops, but holding a meeting between all of their commanders would mark a rare occasion.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is a Korean product that will now be available in USFK commissaries:

CJ CheilJedang has begun selling its new dumpling products inside United States military bases in Korea, where dumplings with Korean meat are prohibited. Personnel there are forced to import from the U.S. in accordance with military regulations, said the country’s major food company, Monday.

CJ has recently released three new vegan dumpling products into the market here. With its latest move, the company said it has acquired more flexibility regarding its shipments to USFK bases which, up until now, had depended solely on Schwan’s Company, its American subsidiary.

CJ on Sunday launched its new Giant Dumpling product with original, japchae and kimchi flavors under Bibigo, the company’s flagship brand for frozen dumplings. Prior to the launch, the company hosted a tasting event for the products at USFK bases for three days starting Friday. One soldier who tasted the japchae-flavored dumplings said that it tasted just like a dumpling that had ground beef in it, according to the company.

The company stacked the products in commissaries of four USFK facilities in Korea. For security reasons, the U.S. military declined to identify which bases have chosen to stock the products. Each product is priced at $6.43.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The power bill for USFK bases has just shot up dramatically this year:

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) will see its utility bills soar, after the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) raises electricity rates for them amid surging production costs, according to the state-run utility company, Tuesday.

The USFK has agreed with the Korean government to increase its power usage rate to 152.8 won ($0.11) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this year, a 26.8 percent jump from last year’s 120.5 won, KEPCO said. 

The power usage rate is determined by the electricity fee and base rate. KEPCO raised its electricity fee for the USFK to 133.5 won, up by 26.9 percent from last year’s 105.2 won per kWh, and its base rate to 7,830 won, up by 24.3 percent from 6,300 won per kilowatt.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I can remember doing plenty of bridging operations over the Imjim River back in my 2ID days:

U.S. and South Korean troops practiced bridge-building recently a short distance from the Demilitarized Zone, the border separating North and South Korea.

Soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade assembled a ribbon bridge over the Imjin River near Paju-si, a city in Gyeonggi province, on March 20. Paju-si is within 5 miles of the heavily guarded border, although the exercise took place further away.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Congratulations to the Camp Humphreys commissary for being named the best overseas commissary by DECA:

The grocery store on the largest U.S. military installation overseas has been named the best overseas large commissary of the year by the Defense Commissary Agency. The Camp Humphreys commissary learned of the title March 1, according to an email Wednesday from DeCA spokeswoman Tressa Smith.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here is some different training for pilots in 2ID:

A U.S. Navy vehicle cargo ship recently took a rare opportunity to train with Army helicopter crews off the southern coast of South Korea. Crews aboard UH-60M Black Hawks from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade qualified for deck landings aboard the USNS Dahl on March 7, 5 miles from Jinhae, Military Sealift Command, Far East said in a news release Monday.

“All flight deck operations are inherently dangerous but [deck landing qualifications] add the wild card of potentially novice crews who are not familiar with either the vessel or ship flight operations in general,” contracted mariner Capt. Deatra Thompson said in the release.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Season 1 of Physical: 100 was pretty good and I will definitely be watching Season 2 when it comes out to see how this USKF Army officer does on the show:

An Army officer who lifts weights competitively will be featured in Netflix’s upcoming season of “Physical: 100,” a South Korean reality show in which 100 contestants compete in theatrical strength-based challenges.

Maj. Gibson Kim, of the 411th Contracting Support Brigade at Camp Humphreys, described himself as a “normal guy doing normal stuff with my day job and family,” during a March 4 interview with Stars and Stripes. Before his workday starts, however, this father of a 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter rises early for a round of weightlifting at his home gym. He started as a powerlifter at Rutgers University, where he earned a degree in economics in 2007. 

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.