• US plans for troop reduction to affect Korean security: experts
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[release] [TABLE="width: 468"] [TR] [TD]The U.S. planned troop reduction will also have security implications on the Korean Peninsula, as Washington will likely be forced to cut the size of its contingency reinforcements here, experts said Friday. Following the announcement earlier in the day of the new U.S. defense strategy, with President Barack Obama calling for a "leaner" military, experts here said South Korean forces will have to take up a bigger role in defending their turf. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. The conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, and left the Koreas technically at war. While no specific figures were provided, U.S. officials have said their army and Marines would cut personnel levels by 10 to 15 percent over the next decade. The U.S. army's current strength is about 565,000, and there are about 201,000 Marines. The Budget Control Act requires the U.S. to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over 10 years. Obama stressed the budget cuts will not be at the expense of the Asia-Pacific, calling it a "critical region." However, South Korean experts said the U.S. will have little choice but to reduce the size of reinforcements in South Korea, and will also likely redeploy some troops here to other international missions. In addition, with the operational wartime control here scheduled to be transferred from Washington to Seoul in December 2015, the U.S. will ask South Korea to assume more of a leading role in defending itself. "Our military should lower their expectations for the U.S. forces here and be prepared for contingencies accordingly," said Baek Seung-joo, a senior analyst at the state-run Korea Institute of Defense Analyses (KIDA). "Rather than simply assuming the Korean Peninsula won't be affected, we should look into how the U.S. strategy will influence the two allies' joint operations, their contingency plans and the transfer of wartime operational control." The contingency plan between South Korea and the U.S. is coded Operation Plan 5027. Should North Korea invade the South, the U.S. is expected to dispatch nearly 700,000 troops across all branches of the service, along with about 160 destroyers and 2,000 airplanes from their bases in the U.S., Japan and Guam. As the U.S. reduces its troops, in particular the army and Marines, it will not only limit the size of contingency ground forces but also affect the speed at which reinforcements can arrive on the peninsula, Baek added. The defense ministry, however, said the South will not be affected by the U.S. move, pointing to Obama's stated commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. Lim Kwan-bin, deputy defense minister for policy, said he was informed of the U.S. plan earlier this week prior to the public announcement, and Washington officials reassured him the strategy "will have no impact" on U.S. forces here. "We support the U.S. defense department's recognition of South Korea and other allies as keys to security in the Asia-Pacific and its commitment to strengthening security cooperation in the region," Lim told reporters. "South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to closely cooperate with each other as the strategy is being put into practice." Lim also denied the troop reduction plan would impact contingency plans here, since the U.S. would draw strength from its reserve forces in addition to active troops. The deputy minister said the U.S. plan will serve as "strategic guidance" for its military, and added, "What the U.S. will do with this is their plan, and it's inappropriate for South Korea to further comment on it." (Yonhap) [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/release] [URL]http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/01/113_102354.html[/URL] Why is South Korea even scared, their military is strong as fuck already
I could imagine that the North might end up using it to try and incite paranoia in the South of a DPRK attack (as if the North could cross the border anyways, what with how many landmines and booby traps they placed in the DMZ). Even if South Korea has a military that's scary as fuck, no one wants Korean War Round 2. I have to say, that the article says that it won't affect the Korean Peninsula at present, just the speed at which reinforcements could be deployed. So it's not really *That* much that they're even scared about.
The only thing that worries me about an active engagent between North and South Korea is the collateral damage. North Korea has hundreds of artillery installations aimed at Seoul, and North Korean civilians are supposedly sworn to protect "great leader" with their loves, whether by choice or not. Long story short, South Korea would win the war, but the economic cost would be catastrophic, and the number of lives lost would be horrendous unless SK had some sort of radically progressive evacuation plans.
About time really. And i am sure the US would send a massive force if anything did happen.
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;34077475] Why is South Korea even scared, their military is strong as fuck already[/QUOTE] Hardly. They have a pretty medicore military with it's recruits composed mostly of people who don't honestly see a reason to be there. Alot of parents send their starcraft playing sons to the Army because they can't function in society. They're not terribly advanced, not like you'd imagine they would be. In terms of manpower North Korea wins every mark. The standard infantry man still uses equipment and uniforms that the US gave them thirty years ago or out of date equipment their own Government produces for them. [img]http://www.armyrecognition.com/images/stories/news/2010/december/South_Korean_army_soldiers_on_Yeonpyeong_island_001.jpg[/img] If you google "South Korean Military" almost 80% of the results are pictures of US troops.
Didn't they have conscription?
[QUOTE=Ignhelper;34079597]Didn't they have conscription?[/QUOTE] Two years required for every male when they turn age 18 I'm pretty sure. Again, most people these days in Korean don't see the North as a huge threat like they used too. They were born in wealth and comfort and they think the North will eventually come looking for handouts. The military has severe issues with funding, so modernization has been kind of limited. The older generation is still worried, they grew up with Kim Sung still poking around and remember all the other shady shit the North used to do like the hijackings and that one siege/raid of their capital or whatever.
[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;34079902]Two years required for every male when they turn age 18 I'm pretty sure. Again, most people these days in Korean don't see the North as a huge threat like they used too. They were born in wealth and comfort and they think the North will eventually come looking for handouts. The military has severe issues with funding, so modernization has been kind of limited. The older generation is still worried, they grew up with Kim Sung still poking around and remember all the other shady shit the North used to do like the hijackings and that one siege/raid of their capital or whatever.[/QUOTE] But from what I've seen, they are making their own stuff, tanks etc. But still most are american
They make their own infantry rifle, their own tanks, a lot of their own aircraft are Korean or Korean variants of American designs, their own artillery pieces and their own uniforms (although to me they still look like a carbon copy of US M81) but for the most part they heavily rely on us to train and supplement the strength of their forces.
[quote]The contingency plan between South Korea and the U.S. is coded Operation Plan 5027. Should North Korea invade the South, the U.S. is expected to dispatch nearly 700,000 troops across all branches of the service, along with about 160 destroyers and 2,000 airplanes from their bases in the U.S., Japan and Guam.[/quote] Jesus Christ... wasn't it like only 150,000 troops at a time in Iraq? That's alot of soldiers.
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