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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| U.S. to pull out most forces from Korean DMZ this year |
| 2004-04-13 |
| EFL - caught via Drudge The U.S. military will withdraw most if its forces from the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea this year, an official announced today. The withdrawal means the United States will no longer have combat troops anywhere on the DMZ except at Panmunjom, where a U.S.-Korean battalion, commanded by a U.S. army lieutenant colonel, remains on guard in what is known as the Joint Security Area. Therefore South Korea, which has a 600,000-member military, will face North Korea’s armed forces, the world’s fifth largest with 1.1 million soldiers, most of whom are concentrated near the DMZ. The United States will turn over Observation Post Ouellette, which provides a view into North Korea, as part of a force reshuffle, the official said. U.S. forces will no longer guard the border, except except for the troops at the JSA in Panmunjom. South Korean forces will take over Ouelette, just as they have replaced U.S. forces everywhere else along the DMZ since the Korean War ended in 1953. South Korea officials, however, want the U.S. to keep its troops in the Joint Security Area as symbols of America’s commitment to defend the South. The 2 1/2-mile wide, 151-mile long DMZ, is considered one of the last remaining symbols of the Cold War. However it is still an active war zone with mines, barbed wire and tank traps. U.S. troops guarding the inter-Korean border have served as a strategic "tripwire" because they are presumed to come under fire during a North Korean attack, thereby prompting U.S. intervention in South Korea’s defense. The United States has about 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea, but has long kept fewer than 200 soldiers along the DMZ, at Observation Post Ouellette and Panmunjom, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Deborah Bertrand, a spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Korea. Details on the timing of Ouellette’s turnover and the eventual troop level at Panmunjom are still being decided in consultation with South Korea, Bertrand said, adding: "It will be this year." ’bout friggin time we pulled back from tripwire status |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #8 OMG I agree with Bomb-a-rama Why should any of our soldiers protect this nation of ingrates? Bring the boys home-- though--to Fort Bragg--not Iraq |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2004-04-13 10:40:49 PM |
| #7 The US forces will have increased flexibility and be better able to respond to an invasion if they have some room to maneuver and some time to respond. How about increasing our flexibility to the maximum, and removing our forces from S. Korea entirely? ;) |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-04-13 4:10:21 PM |
| #6 kinda what you call a reality check on the skors. beware you may get what you ask for. but this should of been done years ago - Cpt Pedantic said it correctly. |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-04-13 3:11:57 PM |
| #5 Ruprecht, your understanding is correct. The DMZ is exactly that. There are some watchposts and such in the DMZ itself but the guards there can't even have automatic weapons, it's strictly demilitarized. The US troops were stationed at the edge of the DMZ, and are now being moved farther away. |
| Posted by: Captain Pedantic 2004-04-13 2:51:16 PM |
| #4 This report has me confused. I thought the deMilitarized zone was actually deMilitarized (aka know troops). I thought the US was on the South Korean border of the DMZ, not in it. Maybe I'm reading too much into the wording, or the journalist is a bit sloppy. Anyone out there that can straighten me out? |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-13 2:47:50 PM |
| #3 The US forces aren't leaving Korea, they're just moving a few miles back from the DMZ. In the event of full-scale war with the Norks, it's better that the US forces not get wiped out by preplotted Nork artillery in the first five minutes of combat, and that's why they're moving away from ground zero. The US forces will have increased flexibility and be better able to respond to an invasion if they have some room to maneuver and some time to respond. |
| Posted by: Captain Pedantic 2004-04-13 1:21:51 PM |
| #2 Hurrah! Faster, please. p.s. - don't forget old europe! |
| Posted by: docob 2004-04-13 1:11:29 PM |
| #1 Wow...That is gonna be one weird feeling when these guys move out. Any indications where they're going? BTW - look for some Olympic-class spittle from the Norks. In a lot of ways, we were protecting him as much as we were defending the ROKS... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-04-13 1:06:54 PM |