Tag: USFK

Here is the details on what happened with Drone-gate a few days ago:

The inspection revealed that a working-level soldier with the 1st Corps had received a text message from the U.S. military notifying the unit of its drone flight plan and firing altitude the day before the exercise.

The U.S. military had also attached an image of its written advance notification, which included the expected flight altitude, suggesting the Korean soldier likely overlooked the detail and failed to report it up the chain of command, assuming the drone would fly within the altitude range governed by the Army Ground Operations Command.

In fact, the drone flew higher than expected, at an altitude that would have required prior notification to and approval from the South Korean Air Force.

Upon spotting the drone, the South Korean military had briefly activated Durumi, a military alert system issued in the event of an enemy drone incursion.

The JCS official’s remarks indicated that the customary practice of allowing an advance notice to be put through text messages may have led to such procedural shortcomings from both sides.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I am surprised that official business like this is being conducted over text messages. It appears that is going to end due to this investigation.

It is looking less likely troop reductions will be coming to South Korea if this NDAA gets signed into law:

The $1.15 trillion defense policy bill passed by the House last week places further restrictions on the use of federal funds to reduce the number of U.S. service members stationed on the Korean Peninsula. The House on July 22 approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, which authorizes appropriations for the Pentagon, military construction and defense-related Department of Energy activities. The measure squeaked by, 216 to 212. The bill’s provision on U.S. military posture in South Korea amends language from the current fiscal year’s version to further limit the use of federal funds to reduce the U.S. military presence on the peninsula.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like someone majorly screwed up this warning to local police that turned into a mass evacuation around Osan Airbase:

Emergency crews established a 1,000-foot safety perimeter here on Tuesday after an apparent white phosphorus leak prompted local authorities to briefly order nearby residents to evacuate. The 51st Fighter Wing described the event as an isolated “ground mishap” and did not confirm that white phosphorus was involved.

Wing spokesman Master Sgt. Eric Flores told Stars and Stripes by email at 8:52 p.m. Tuesday that the incident occurred within an isolated munitions storage area inside the base. He said there is no threat to the public, and no base-wide or off-base evacuation was required. He said an “incorrect evacuation message” was issued at 5:08 p.m. via At Hoc, the emergency mass messaging system.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I guess we will see if USFK has any issues with this:

South Korea is proposing to relocate a military air base used by the South Korean and U.S. air forces and build a semiconductor manufacturing complex on the site. Gwangju Air Base, roughly 190 miles south of Seoul, serves as a South Korea-U.S. Air Force collocated operating base. It shares the airfield with Gwangju Airport, which operates commercial flights.  The U.S. Air Force may rapidly deploy assets at the base during a conflict without permanently stationing a large force there.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It looks like missile defenses for USFK are back in place and may have never have left the country in the first place:

All six launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system deployed in the southeastern county of Seongju have returned to base following their relocation in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, sources said Sunday.

The truck-mounted launchers were reported to have moved from Seongju to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, in March, fueling speculation the U.S. military was planning to transfer THAAD missile interceptors to the Middle East to support the war.

The launchers and other parts of the THAAD battery, however, were believed to have remained in South Korea, as some of the trucks were later seen returning to Seongju.

U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson told a Senate hearing in April that THAAD remained in South Korea. 

“Currently, we are sending munitions forward, and those are sitting right now waiting to move,” he said at the time, without elaborating.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Ironically the Japanese historically have thought the same thing that the Korean Peninsula is a dagger pointed towards Japan. This is partly why past Japanese Imperial governments have tried to control the peninsula. Is General Brunson hinting that China will be the next Imperial power that will try and control the Korean Peninsula?:

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson has said that South Korea is a “dagger in the heart of Asia” if seen from China’s east coast, a remark that apparently underscored the strategic location of the Asian ally amid an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.

Brunson made the remarks in a recent podcast interview hosted by the U.S. Army War College on Friday, amid lingering speculation that the United States would seek to leverage USFK assets to help deter an increasingly assertive China or address other regional challenges beyond the Korean Peninsula.

“When they (the Chinese) look out from the east coast of China, what they see is there’s Korea, the dagger in the heart of Asia,” he said, according to a transcript posted on the website of the Strategic Studies Institute at the Army War College.

“(Then) there’s Japan again, sort of that shield that’s sort of a backstop, if you will, for them trying and their ambitions beyond that into the South China Sea and then down to their southeast is the Philippines,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Great job by all the individuals and groups recognized during the recent USFK Good Neighbors awards:

The sponsor of a long-running student exchange program, a U.S. soldier who organizes environmental cleanups and a corporation promoting cultural outreach were among those honored as “good neighbors” by U.S. Forces Korea. The 23rd annual USFK Good Neighbor Award ceremony, held Tuesday at the Morning Calm Center, recognized 33 service members, civilians and organizations for strengthening ties between the United States and South Korea.

The event celebrates community outreach and cultural exchanges that reinforce the alliance at the “human level,” USFK deputy commander, Air Force Lt. Gen. David Iverson, said during keynote remarks. This year’s top Korean individual award went to Chung Sung-mok, a sponsor and co-president of the Korean American Friendship Circle.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Good news for U.S. troops in South Korea:

A new military mail terminal opened Thursday in Busan to improve speed and reliability of mail delivery to U.S. Forces Korea, according to the U.S. Army.  The facility is expected to strengthen “resiliency and efficiency” of military mail operations in South Korea, Col. Kimberly Pringle of U.S. Army Pacific said in a speech during the opening ceremony. “This facility enhances our ability to receive, process and distribute mail with greater speed and reliability,” she said.

Until the Busan facility opened, the joint military mail terminal at Incheon International Airport was the only military mail terminal in South Korea. Busan will process 40% of the total U.S. military mail that enters the country, which is more than 12 million pounds annually, according to an April 20 news release from the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. The terminal is expected to shorten by a day the delivery period for priority mail — from the typical 10 days to nine, James Register, Army Pacific chief of postal operations, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The Unification Minister really stepped in it, but he will likely face no consequences since he is a committed leftist. You can say many things about the Korean left, but one thing they do well is stick together so I doubt anything will happen to Chung Dong-young for the leak. This is likely why USFK is taking this action since the Korean government is taking no action to address this issue:

The United States has restricted South Korea’s access to intelligence related to North Korea’s nuclear facilities in protest over the unification minister’s disclosure of the country’s uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, sources said Monday.

The South Korean military has claimed its readiness posture remains unhindered by Washington’s decision, but concerns remain over a potential vacuum in Seoul’s surveillance capabilities against the North.

The U.S. has restricted information sharing with Seoul on the North’s nuclear facilities collected via satellites, including on a facility located in the western city of Kusong.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is pretty amazing that with everything going on in Korea and the world that the top story currently over at Yonhap’s English page is of a bar fight in Hongdae involving an American Soldier:

An American soldier was booked Sunday for allegedly assaulting a South Korean man at a nightclub in Seoul’s Hongdae district, police said.

The 20-something member of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) was apprehended at the scene after allegedly assaulting the man around 3 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Mapo Police Station.

The altercation reportedly began after the victim bumped shoulders with the soldier’s party and resulted in him sustaining a fractured nose.

The soldier was transferred to the USFK in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement, which governs the legal status of the 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea.

Police said they will decide on the next steps after determining the details of the incident.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I can remember the days when incidents like this would lead to massive protests due to lies about the SOFA agreement. Fortunately those days appear to be long gone.