Grinder
27 July 2004, 15:55
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2004 - U.S. and Korean officials have agreed on a plan to
move all 8,000 American troops out of Seoul and its suburbs by December 2008.
The forces will be relocated to south of the Han River in the Pyongtaek area,
roughly 50 miles south of Seoul.
Officials also agreed to move the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division from its
existing bases near the Demilitarized Zone to the same area south of Seoul. The
timeline for this move has yet to be worked out, DoD officials said.
American and South Korean officials announced the upcoming changes in a joint
press conference at the State Department's Foreign Press Center here July 23.
The officials briefed the press following the 10th round of the Future of the
Alliance talks, held here last week.
"The important message of the day today is that the alliance is well," said
Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia Pacific affairs.
"It's working toward its goals; it's progressing."
The officials gave several reasons for the shift in forces. Consolidating far-
flung forces on fewer bases will allow greater efficiency in land use and
personnel, Evans Revere, a U.S. State Department expert on Asian affairs, said.
He also noted the move will free up "some very valuable land" for use by Korean
municipalities. He said he hopes this will enhance Korean public support for
continued U.S. military presence on the peninsula.
Lawless explained that areas surrounding U.S. facilities north of the Han River
have become increasingly urbanized and those bases now cause "discomfort" to
the local population. "(U.S. bases) encroach upon the daily lives of the Korean
people," he said, noting the upcoming move is "very much driven by our desire
to become a better partner there."
Officials from both countries have been working together for some time to
finalize plans to move 2nd Infantry Division troops south from the DMZ region.
During Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit to South Korea in November
2003, officials explained the U.S. government has been investing in enhanced
weapons systems and command-and-control systems to allow more efficient
deployment of forces in Korea.
"Whatever adjustments we may make will reflect the new technologies that are
available, the new capabilities, and they will strengthen our ability to deter,
and if necessary, defeat any aggression against allies such as South Korea,"
Rumsfeld said Nov. 18, 2003, in Seoul.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2004 - U.S. and Korean officials have agreed on a plan to
move all 8,000 American troops out of Seoul and its suburbs by December 2008.
The forces will be relocated to south of the Han River in the Pyongtaek area,
roughly 50 miles south of Seoul.
Officials also agreed to move the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division from its
existing bases near the Demilitarized Zone to the same area south of Seoul. The
timeline for this move has yet to be worked out, DoD officials said.
American and South Korean officials announced the upcoming changes in a joint
press conference at the State Department's Foreign Press Center here July 23.
The officials briefed the press following the 10th round of the Future of the
Alliance talks, held here last week.
"The important message of the day today is that the alliance is well," said
Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia Pacific affairs.
"It's working toward its goals; it's progressing."
The officials gave several reasons for the shift in forces. Consolidating far-
flung forces on fewer bases will allow greater efficiency in land use and
personnel, Evans Revere, a U.S. State Department expert on Asian affairs, said.
He also noted the move will free up "some very valuable land" for use by Korean
municipalities. He said he hopes this will enhance Korean public support for
continued U.S. military presence on the peninsula.
Lawless explained that areas surrounding U.S. facilities north of the Han River
have become increasingly urbanized and those bases now cause "discomfort" to
the local population. "(U.S. bases) encroach upon the daily lives of the Korean
people," he said, noting the upcoming move is "very much driven by our desire
to become a better partner there."
Officials from both countries have been working together for some time to
finalize plans to move 2nd Infantry Division troops south from the DMZ region.
During Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit to South Korea in November
2003, officials explained the U.S. government has been investing in enhanced
weapons systems and command-and-control systems to allow more efficient
deployment of forces in Korea.
"Whatever adjustments we may make will reflect the new technologies that are
available, the new capabilities, and they will strengthen our ability to deter,
and if necessary, defeat any aggression against allies such as South Korea,"
Rumsfeld said Nov. 18, 2003, in Seoul.