Tag: missile defense

It has been suspected USFK would deploy Patriot batteries again to the Middle East and it appears it may be happening:

U.S. military transport aircraft have been spotted arriving at and departing from a U.S. air base in South Korea over the past week, raising speculation that the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) may be deploying some of its assets to the Middle East amid the escalating conflict involving Iran.

According to the real-time flight tracking website Flightradar24, C-5 and C-17 U.S. transport aircraft have landed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, since late last month and departed between Wednesday and Saturday.

At least two C-5 aircraft arrived at the air base in late February and were spotted departing last Saturday and Monday, while C-17 aircraft departed between Tuesday and Saturday, with six confirmed to be heading to Anchorage, Alaska.

The C-17 aircraft regularly stopped at the key U.S. base to transport U.S. assets and personnel, but the arrival of the C-5 appears to be rare.

The latest move has fueled speculation that the USFK may be preparing to move Patriot missile defense systems, as it is known to have recently relocated some Patriot batteries to Osan Air Base from other U.S. bases.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The experts in this case are not wrong:

The short answer, analysts say, is no.

South Korea’s multi-layered air defense network, known as the Korea Air and Missile Defense, cannot fully protect the country from a large-scale missile or artillery barrage by North Korea. The system is designed to limit damage, not to guarantee safety.

Overall, an expert judged that if North Korea were to launch multiple types of weapons simultaneously, it would be difficult to block them all with this network alone.

“Even with a multi-layered defense in place, many experts, including myself, believe that the system on its own would struggle to withstand a mixed, simultaneous strike from North Korea,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Experts also note that the proximity between the two Koreas, with Seoul 40 kilometers away from the Demilitarized Zone, leaves the South with very little reaction time if the North decides to strike. Long-range artillery could strike the capital in minutes, they say.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the difference between Israel and North Korea is the long range artillery. Israel largely eliminated Hezbollah prior to the confrontation with Iran in order to limit the rocket attacks from Lebanon. During a conflict with North Korea, Seoul could be pummeled with artillery fire which would require an extensive number of C-RAM batteries to intercept which the ROK or the USFK does not have.

Another difference in a battle with North Korea is the volume of missiles fired. Iran due to its distance from Israel had limited number of launchers to fire longer range missiles. Due to how close South Korea is, North Korea can use short and medium range ballistic missile launchers to target South Korea. Both the ROK and USFK have missile defense units to defend against these threats, but the question becomes how many interceptors do they have compared to North Korea’s ballistic missile inventory?

The air defense Soldiers based in both Korea and Japan that were recently deployed to the Middle East saw significant combat action in defense of Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar:

Among the soldiers on guard at Al Udeid, the oldest was a 28-year-old captain and the youngest a 21-year-old private, Caine said. The Patriot crews had arrived in Qatar from South Korea and Japan to bolster defenses. As scores of missiles approached the base, the Patriot crews fired to intercept.

Caine said he was aware of reports that some of the incoming fire got through, but he suggested that it was debris. “Between attacking missiles being hit by Patriots, boosters from attacking missiles being hit by Patriots, the Patriots themselves flying around and the debris from those Patriots hitting the ground, there was a lot of metal flying around,” Caine said. There were no reported injuries connected to Iran’s missiles. “We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history,” Caine said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but great job by all these Soldiers!

Moving an entire Patriot battalion out of INDOPACOM you would think would be a huge signal to Iran they are about to get smashed if they don’t reign in the Houthis:

U.S. Patriot missile defense systems were recently moved from Asia to the Middle East amid ongoing fighting with Houthi rebels in Yemen and threats from their backers in Iran, the leader of Indo-Pacific Command told lawmakers this week.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Adm. Samuel Paparo said the Army had transferred a Patriot battalion from INDOPACOM to the Central Command area of operations as the military builds up its defenses in the region. Tensions have been escalating since the U.S. launched a fresh barrage of airstrikes against the Houthis last month, with President Donald Trump vowing to keep up the pressure until the militants halt attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Trump also has threatened to go after their backers in Iran if the maritime attacks don’t stop.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Remember the talk of “strategic flexibility” for USFK? Well this is what that looks like:

South Korea and the United States have recently agreed on a plan to temporarily deploy Patriot missile defense batteries from the South to the Middle East, sources said Friday, amid speculation over a potential shift in the role of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The allies agreed last month on the “monthslong” partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the first known case involving the relocation of USFK assets to the Middle East, according to the sources.

The missiles work alongside South Korea’s own air defense assets in a multilayered missile defense system against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, according to the sources.

The rare move comes after U.S. broadcaster NBC News reported last week that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized at least two Patriot missile defense batteries from Asia to be moved to the Middle East as the U.S. takes military action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but does this become the new normal for USFK where units are regularly deployed off the peninsula to respond to needs elsewhere in the world?

In response to North Korea’s recent provocations the ROK military is showcasing its homegrown missile defense system for the first time to the public:

It marked the first time the Air Force has unveiled the battalion’s drill involving the Cheongung-II to the press, although its specific name and location remains undisclosed to the public.

Integral to South Korea’s multilayered missile defense system, the Cheongung-II operates at a mid-tier altitude, complementing the U.S. missile shield. Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles defend against low-tier threats at altitudes of 20 km, and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) intercepts upper-tier threats at altitudes of 40-150 km. 

The unit is located within an hour’s drive from Seongju County, which is located about 160 km southeast of Seoul and is home to the THAAD system deployed in 2017. 

While the Cheongung-II is designed to counter ballistic missile threats and hostile aircraft, its capability of targeting cruise missiles has drawn new attention amid Pyongyang’s recent spate of cruise missile tests. 

“The Cheongung-II represents an advanced homegrown technology in countering both aircraft and ballistic missiles. Our training ensures that our forces are prepared to respond immediately, strongly and until the end,” Park said. 

The upgraded M-SAM Block-II comprises four mobile launchers, each loaded with eight missiles, enabling simultaneous engagement of up to 32 interceptors.

A multifunction radar is positioned atop a hill for uninterrupted 360-degree airspace surveillance, remotely sending signals to an engagement control center.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The fact that the U.S. and Japan plan to build this within 10 years may be to late to need:

Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister’s official residence on Oct. 4, 2021 in Tokyo. U.S. President Joe Biden will host Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a summit on Aug. 18. (Toru Hanai /Pool/Getty Images/TNS)

The U.S. and Japan are expected to announce an agreement to jointly develop missile interceptors for hypersonic weapons when the leaders of the two nations meet later this week, the Yomiuri reported, citing several people in government.

U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a summit on Aug. 18. Biden will also meet with Kishida separately and one of the issues on which they are expected to reach agreement is the collaboration on missile interceptors, the Yomiuri said.

The U.S. and Japan will aim to develop the new missile defense system within 10 years, according to the report.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like this is the response to North Korea’s ICBM launch, holding a trilateral missile defense exercise:

South Korea, the United States and Japan held a joint naval drill, the South Korean Navy said Sunday, in a show of strengthened trilateral military cooperation against North Korea’s escalating nuclear threats.

The three allies staged a missile defense exercise in international waters between South Korea and Japan, Sunday, mobilizing three Aegis-equipped destroyers ― ROKS Yulgok Yi I, USS John Finn and JS Maya ― to enhance readiness against North Korea’s missile provocations.

The previous joint drill was held on April 17 and the latest one was the fourth combined exercise to take place during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The three nations have done this trilateral missile defense exercises in the past, but they were scrapped during the prior Moon administration:

South Korea, the United States and Japan held a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters of the East Sea on Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, amid heightened tensions caused by North Korea’s recent missile launches.

The exercise took place in waters east of South Korea’s Ulleung Island, mobilizing three Aegis-equipped destroyers — the South’s Sejong the Great, the U.S.’ USS Barry and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s JS Atago — according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The exercise, which lasted for some five hours from 9 a.m., focused on practicing procedures to detect, track and intercept computer-simulated targets, and share related information, it said.

Of the three destroyers, only the U.S. vessel was involved in the interception segment, while the rest joined other parts of the drills, such as the detection of virtual targets, a Seoul official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It takes many years of development and testing to field a missile defense system this is why THAAD as well as the Patriot batteries in South Korea remain so important to the defense of Korea:

South Korea’s Army said Thursday it is pushing to acquire an advanced interception system to defend against evolving missile and artillery threats from North Korea.

It unveiled the plan for the acquisition of the low altitude missile defense-II (LAMD-II) system that is intended to shoot down North Korea’s new ballistic missiles, such as the KN-23 and the KN-24, and its super-large artillery rockets in a report for an annual parliamentary audit.

LAMD-II will be an improved version of the LAMD system that Seoul seeks to develop by 2029.

The Army added that it is also planning for the early development of the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-II (KTSSM-II) as part of efforts to bolster the military’s Kill Chain preemptive strike platform against the nuclear-armed North. It aims to develop the KTSSM-II by 2030, earlier than its initial target year of 2034.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.