Part of the U.S. Forces Korea needs to remain north of Seoul near the frontline after headquarters relocates south of the capital, USFK commander Curtis Scaparrotti said Monday.
"In terms of the residual in what we call Area I, there may be a need operationally to leave some residual in those areas just for proper defense and response," Scaparrotti told the Defense Ministry press corps. It was his first meeting with the reporters after he was inaugurated as the new USFK commander last month.
The plan so far has been for the entire USFK to retreat to a new base in Pyeongtaek in southwestern Gyeonggi Province by 2016. But since last year, the USFK has been talking with the South Korean military about leaving the 210th Fires Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division in Dongducheon to promptly respond to threats from North Korean long-range artillery.
This suggests the U.S troops would continue to play a "tripwire" role, a term used to mean that the U.S. will automatically intervene in a war here if American soldiers in the frontline area are attacked by North Korean troops. There has been concern that if all U.S. forces retreat south, there would be no tripwire and therefore a greater threat of provocations from the North. |