Tag: USFK

It looks like for the next year USFK can count on maintaining a troop strength of at least 22,000 personnel:

President Donald Trump has objected to a series of provisions in the newly passed 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, including limits on the reduction of troops in South Korea and recognizing Crimea as a Russian province.

The defense legislation, which Trump signed into law Monday, sets new restrictions to keep the administration from decreasing troops in South Korea to less than 22,000. It also prohibits U.S. funds from helping legitimize Russia’s control of Crimea.

Both provisions, among several others in the NDAA, reflect congressional concerns about the president and drew objections from the White House.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest on any drawdown of US troops in South Korea:

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense authorization bill that restricts any drawdown of American troops in South Korea.

The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which approves US$716 billion for defense in fiscal year 2019, passed the House by a vote of 359-54. Upon Senate approval, it will be sent to U.S. President Donald Trump to sign into law.

The bill notes that about 28,500 American troops are currently stationed in South Korea as a demonstration of the U.S. commitment to the bilateral alliance.

Their “significant removal” is “a non-negotiable item as it relates to the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization” of North Korea, the bill says under a section describing the Sense of Senate on U.S. military forces on the Korean Peninsula.

In a conference report accompanying the legislation, Congress also prohibits the use of the funds to reduce the troops’ number below 22,000 without certification from the secretary of defense that “such a reduction is in the national security interest of the United States and will not significantly undermine the security of United States allies in the region.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

It seems to me that the heat wave in South Korea did not cause this heat injury considering the article says he fell out when the temperature was 77 F.  It seems like other factors such as how well hydrated he was before and during the ruck march might be more responsible than a 77 degree F temperature, especially with the humidity in South Korea.  A major question that will need to be asked is how much water were the airmen carrying on the march and were there water stations for access to more water?:

A South Korea-based airman who collapsed during a ruck march is among thousands hospitalized from a heat wave that has claimed dozens of lives this month in the Far East.

A GoFundMe page seeking donations for the family of Airman 1st Class Mikhahael Ragay says that “during a ruck at Osan Air Base, South Korea, A1C Ragay fell out due to heat exhaustion/dehydration. His core body temperature was 108 degrees Fahrenheit and he is currently in critical condition in a comatose state. His family flew out to Osan to be with him, and all proceeds will go to his family to support them during this difficult time.”

Members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron participated in a ruck march at about 6 a.m. Saturday, said Staff Sgt. Tinese Jackson, a 51st Fighter Wing spokeswoman. The trek culminated an eight-day Combat Readiness Course, which is an initial training exercise for airmen new to the unit.

“A member of the 51st SFS passed out during the ruck march and was taken to the emergency room,” she said. “The Airman is currently being treated and recovering at an off-base hospital in the Republic of Korea.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but hopefully the airman makes a full recovery.

Friends and family gathered at Knight Field, US Army Garrison Yongsan, to welcome newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Harry Harris, and to say goodbye to Marc Knapper, outgoing , July 17.  Knapper served as Chargé, d’Affaires for more than a year replacing former ambassador, Mark Lippert.(Photos by Staff Sgt. David Chapman, UNC-CFC-USFK)  [USFK Facebook page]

Another example of USFK soldiers helping a Korean civilian injured in a traffic related accident:

Three American medical soldiers were in the “right place at the right time” on Friday the 13th.

Two Army nurses and a command driver were headed from the main U.S. military hospital at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to a meeting at Camp Humphreys when they saw a woman injured in an accident on the highway near Osan, about 30 miles south of Seoul.

The trio, assigned to the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital, stopped to help.

Col. Editha Ruiz, deputy commander for nursing, and 1st Lt. Alexander Seawright, a nurse, performed first aid while Spc. Won Seok Kim, the command driver, translated and helped keep others on the scene calm until an ambulance arrived.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but for those not familiar with Korea it is not uncommon to see other Koreans not assist other injured people due to concerns of liability lawsuits.

This cost savings number is a drop in the bucket compared to rest of the Pentagon’s budget:

The United States’ annual August military drills with South Korea canceled last month by order of President Donald Trump as his administration negotiates a halt to North Korea’s nuclear program would have cost the Pentagon about $14 million, according to defense officials.

Pentagon officials were unable last month to provide a cost-savings estimate for canceling the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise. After Trump met with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, the president announced he would halt all joint “war games” with South Korea so long as North Korea was negotiating in good faith.

On Wednesday, Army Col. Rob Manning, the Pentagon spokesman who provided the $14 million figure for the suspended military drill, did not have a breakdown explaining how defense officials arrived at that cost. Manning also did not have an estimate for cost savings for additional joint exercises in South Korea that could be canceled in the future.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

The issue of signing a peace treaty to end the Korean War is one of the major objectives of North Korea and China to ultimately get USFK withdrawn from South Korea:

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he wants to bring a formal end to the Korean War this year.

“The goal of our government is to declare an official end of the Korean War this year, which marks the 65th anniversary of signing the truce agreement,” he said in an interview with Singaporean media The Straits Times, according to Yonhap. Moon is on a three-day state visit in Singapore.

After the three-year war, China, North Korea and the U.N. agreed to an armistice in 1953.

“It will provide a milestone to the process for permanent peace along with denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and a peace treaty between the North and South,” said Moon.

He added that his country is discussing with the U.S. and North Korea about when and how the declaration for the end of the Korean War will be announced.  [UPI]

Here is what Moon had to say about the future of USFK:

Moon noted that the U.S. military presence in South Korea is irrelevant to the denuclearization negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

“South Korea and the U.S. hold a firm position on the roles and importance of U.S. Forces in Korea for sustaining peace and stability in the Northeast Asian region and the Korean peninsula,” he said.

Remember that I have long believed that President Moon cannot publicly advocate against keeping USFK in Korea post-peace treaty because that will mobilize the conservative opposition against him.  However, Moon can use his surrogates to make life difficult for USFK to where the US could decide to withdraw on its own.  This gets Moon and his left wing base in South Korea what they ultimately want, USFK withdrawal without getting blamed for it.

It also gives North Korea and China what they ultimately want as well, but will the North Koreans agree to denuclearization if USFK was to withdraw?  I guess we will see what happens over the next year.

I hope no one is surprised by this because this has always been one of the long game end states:

Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to work toward the eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea during their third summit in China, according to a Japanese press report.

The Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday the two leaders agreed to cooperate strategically on a shared objective of the removal of the 28,500 U.S. soldiers in the South, following the summit in Singapore where President Donald Trump described joint drills as “very provocative” and costly.

The Asahi’s source, described as well versed in China-North Korea affairs, said Beijing and Pyongyang also agreed to bide their time and not rush negotiations with Washington.

The report comes a day ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo‘s visit to Pyongyang, his third known trip to North Korea.

China and North Korea see an opportunity to ask U.S. troops to leave if and when a peace treaty is signed.  [UPI]

You can read more at the link, but you can add the Russians and South Korean leftists to this list as well that want US troops off of the peninsula.  Despite claims in the media that Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in want US troops to stay after any peace deal is reached, this is just all rhetoric to prevent energizing South Korean conservatives against Moon.

Remember Moon is a very skilled politician that needs to keep the Korean right at bay and public anxiety down.  If he advocated openly for a USFK withdrawal that would give the South Korean right an issue to strongly attack him with and cause much public anxiety after decades of security guarantees provided by US forces.  That is why I think the Moon administration will publicly say they support USFK staying, but will then have their surrogates do things to make life difficult for USFK.

Possibly the future of USFK after a peace treaty could look a lot like the current THAAD site in Seongju.  President Moon will say all the right things that he supports USFK, just like he supposedly supports the THAAD site, but will set conditions to make it difficult for its continued existence and cause the US to withdraw troops on its own accord.

Moon Jae-in wants political cover as he compromises Seoul's strategic position & US troops give moderate voters a false sense of security. But without robust missile defenses & a host-nation ally that has our backs, our troops are vulnerable — really, just hostages for N. Korea. https://t.co/DRFevqpAoQ

— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) June 30, 2018

Leave it to General Brooks to dispel media hyperbole about the cancellation of UFG:

The chief of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Wednesday dismissed concerns that the recent decision by Seoul and Washington to suspend their combined military exercises would lead to an end of all other allied drills and weaken deterrence capabilities.

Gen. Vincent Brooks defended the decision, noting that the suspension appears intended to help the allies build trust with North Korea and add “greater effectiveness” in ongoing diplomacy on the communist state’s denuclearization.

“I don’t anticipate that this is an end of all exercises and training as we know it, but rather these visible exercises that are right up front that may cause unnecessary irritation at a time when the need for trust building is so important,” he said during an alliance forum in Seoul.

“I will eliminate the doubt and concerns about all military training going away. I don’t have any such instruction coming my way. I don’t feel that is the spirit of our leaders but rather to create a room for them to be able to navigate the way forward … to give them room if this helps set the conditions for them to have greater effectiveness in their dialogue and discussions,” he added.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.