honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, June 22, 2003

THE RISING EAST

Army's effectiveness in Korea grows with move

By Richard Halloran

The planned move of the 2nd Infantry Division from its present location in northern South Korea to new bases farther south is intended to make a far-reaching change in the entire U.S. security posture in East Asia.

Spcs. Dale Siebert and Donahue Davidson of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division talk during training in Paju, South Korea. Moving farther south in the country will expand the division's role beyond defense.

Advertiser library photo • March 6, 2003

Senior U.S. officials say that the shift will permit the United States to deploy the division anywhere within the Pacific Command's area of operations, running from Alaska across Asia to East Africa. Until now, it has been trapped between the demilitarized zone or DMZ, which divides the Korean peninsula, and Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and limited to helping defend South Korea.

In its new deployment, the 2nd Division will assume a regional role like that of the U.S. Marine division based in Okinawa, Japan. The mission of the Marines is to protect U.S. interests throughout Asia, not just to defend Japan. In effect, moving the 2nd Division will double the land forces immediately available to the Pacific Command, which is headquartered in Hawai'i.

The deputy secretary of defense, Paul Wolfowitz, said in South Korea recently that the changes there were part of a revision of the U.S. military posture worldwide. This review, he said, was being driven by "an entirely new capability for long-range, high-precision targeting."

He also pointed to a new "ability to integrate our forces into joint operations." And, he said, "we place a great premium on mobility, on the ability to move great distances rapidly and to use temporary basing solutions as needed."

Today, the 2nd Division is a hybrid of two tank battalions, two helicopter assault battalions, an infantry battalion, a mechanized battalion, and four artillery battalions with supporting aviation, engineer, signal and air-defense units. They are scattered in 17 camps north of Seoul, one not far from the city while another is close to the DMZ, 40 miles away.

Over a time frame not yet announced, the division of 17,600 soldiers will move about 75 miles south of Seoul, presumably near a U.S. air base such as that in Osan, where soldiers could be airlifted to wherever they would be needed. The headquarters of all U.S. forces in South Korea also will be moved out of Seoul, beginning this year.

In addition, the division has three battalions posted at Fort Lewis, Wash., that have just finished training with the new Stryker combat vehicles, which are lighter and more easily transported than tanks and make up in speed what they lack in armor. The Stryker is the brainchild of Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Hawai'i born military leader who has retired as chief of staff of the Army.

At the same time, the United States has announced that $11 billion will be spent over the next three years to build up U.S. military power in South Korea, including money to store stocks of weapons, ammunition and supplies on high-speed ships that could be dispatched to link up with troops flown into a troubled area.

Patriot missiles, which are anti-missile weapons, will be deployed to the U.S. forces in South Korea; intelligence collection will be improved; and more precision-guided munitions will be added to the American arsenal there.

All in all, the United States will have a more formidable force in Asia than it has now. The Army has only 10 divisions today, down from 18 a decade ago, with no fewer missions or commitments. Freeing up the Second Division is intended to enable the Army to achieve those tasks with less strain.

In South Korea, the 2nd Division will become more flexible. It is stuck in a defensive position now and has limited offensive capability. From its new bases, troops will be able to move laterally across the peninsula to points where they are needed. They will also be able to strike around the flanks or by air into North Korea if ordered to do so.

If North Korea attacks, U.S. and South Korean war plans call for massive bombing and artillery counterstrikes, followed by a thrust north across the DMZ and a sustained drive to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, to capture it and to destroy the communist regime.

Lastly, moving the 2nd Division should reduce friction between Americans and South Koreans in a land where anti-Americanism has been flaring. The division occupies space in a crowded place while its new bases will be away from densely populated areas. A year ago this month, two South Korean schoolgirls were struck and killed by a division vehicle on a training maneuver. In its new post, tragedies like that should not happen again.