Texts Fwd: USFK’s new ‘strategic flexibility,' shown in The US 2nd Infantry's Participation in Philippines Training Exercises

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* Image & caption source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
General Walter Sharpe, Commander of US Forces Korea, is answering questions from journalists at the Combined US-Korea Forces Command. Although Korea and the US have an understanding about the operational flexibility of the US forces stationed in Korea theoretically, the US 2nd Infantry's actual participation in the Philippines training exercises causes concerns that Korean soldiers could also be drawn into unwanted battles in the future. File photo Caption by Seol Wontai ___________________________________________________________
The Kyunghyang Shinmun
The US 2nd Infantry's Participation in Philippines Training Exercises is Cause for Concern
2011-03-21

ROK-US Combined Forces Command has announced that troops from the US Army 2nd Infantry Division, stationed in Korea, will take part in joint training exercises between the United States and the Philippines, to be held from April 5 in the Philippines.

This is the first time a part of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) has taken part in an overseas training exercise. As such, it is an important event that tells us that the character and role of the USFK is changing.

According to the mutual defense treaty between the Republic of Korea and the United States, the role of the USFK is to defend the Korean Peninsula. Consequently, deploying the USFK to neighboring regions, or throughout the world strategic flexibility, in other words goes beyond the bounds of this role.

If the character of the USFK changes this way, Korea may be forced to take part in regional and global conflicts in which the US participates. The worst case scenario is that where the USFK intervene in a conflict between mainland China and Taiwan, reducing the status of the Korean Peninsula to that of a US military supply base and eventually bringing conflict to Korea itself.

This may just be a training exercise, but strategic flexibility, when it ceases to be a mere plan and enters the realm of specific implementation, cannot but be a source of serious concern regarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

How can it be that this exercise is going ahead as if nothing is happening? The Korean government and even the Korean people appear uninterested. In 2006, Korea and the US reached a compromise that stated explicitly that, rather than Korea recognizing the strategic flexibility that the US wants, the United States "respects Korea's stance that Korea will not enter into any conflict in the Northeast Asian region irrespective of the will of the Korean people."

Criticisms have been made, however, that a single such sentence, which merely amounts to a principled expression of opinion, may not be able to remove the risk of strategic flexibility.

Since the Lee Myung-bak administration took office, even this principle has disappeared. On the contrary, this government has consistently made policies that support strategic flexibility, as can be seen in the 2009 "future vision" of the Korea-US alliance.

The US is taking advantage of this atmosphere by effectively running its 2nd Infantry Division on a rotational basis. USFK commander General Walter Sharp emphasized last December "the need for USFK to intervene on a slightly more regional basis and be stationed around the world."

Flexibility takes as a precondition a reduction in the threat from North Korea. But since the Lee Myung-bak administration took office, tension has actually increased, including the breakout of military clashes between North and South, due to hard-line South Korean policies toward the North.

The government, moreover, has even delayed the transfer of wartime operational control from the US to Korea until 2015, on grounds of the increased threat from North Korea. It is a mystery, however, why the government considers flexibility to be acceptable.

The government must not commit the folly of laying the ground for getting caught up in regional conflicts. Let us hope that it wastes no time in providing mechanisms to safeguard against this. (Editorial. The Kyunghyang Daily News, March 21, 2011. p. 31)
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Hankyoreh
[Editorial] USFK’s new ‘strategic flexibility’
Posted on : Mar.21,2011 13:32 KS

A few days ago, the Eighth U.S. Army Command announced plans for around 500 soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division reconnaissance battalion stationed in South Korea to take part in joint U.S.-Philippines exercises taking place in the Philippines beginning Apr. 5. Previously, United States Forces Korea (USFK) soldiers have participated in overseas exercises at the small scale of a few dozen troops or so, but this marks the first time an entire unit is being dispatched. This marks a serious development, as the United States has begun moving its forces according to its strategy of “strategic flexibility.”

Based on this strategy, the United States plans to operate its forces for rapid maneuvering rather than leaving them as a fixture in any one region. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, the United States has pushed for these policy changes in the interest of making effective use of its forces overseas. Its intent is to broaden the scope of the USFK’s placement rather than tying them to the role of deterrent against North Korea according to the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and South Korea.

However, the U.S. military’s free coming and going overseas from a base in South Korea, without any controls from the South Korean government, is not a matter that can simply be overlooked. The possibility exists that South Korea may end up unwittingly embroiled in a conflict in another nation or subjected to unnecessary suspicions. Given the delicate interweaving of potential causes for tension on the peninsula and in East Asia, it is reasonable to have serious concerns about this aspect. As an immediate example, Beijing has been expressing keen alarm over the USFK’s role as a curb against it.

In light of these factors, South Korea and the United States agreed on a set of principles regarding the USFK’s strategic flexibility in January 2006. At this time, Seoul agreed to show understanding for Washington’s change in global military strategy and respect the need for strategic flexibility with the USFK. The United States, for its part, agreed to respect Seoul’s desire not to get involved in any regional conflicts in Northeast Asia irrespective of the South Korean people’s will. The problem is that no subsequent procedures were properly instituted to manage the enforcement of these principles.

For instance, last October’s Security Consultative Meeting between South Korea and the United States failed to produce a consensus, with Seoul requesting the institutionalization of prior discussions when applying the strategic flexibility concept, and Washington declaring that it would merely provide notification.

With this latest decision, the U.S. Eighth Army merely provided a brief announcement of the fact that the reconnaissance battalion would be taking part in the exercises. Neither the Combined Forces Command nor the South Korean Ministry of National Defense provided any explanation about the process. It is not normal for South Korea to merely receive unilateral notification without any preliminary discussions when a USFK unit is transferred. We hope the South Korean and U.S. military authorities will engage in sincere discussions and disclose details about the process. (Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr] )

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NO 731, recent News
Ministry of National Defense
South Korea and the Philippines deepen military ties　
March 15 (upload on March 21, 2011)

South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, rear left, and his counterpart Voltaire Gazmin of the Philippines at a welcoming ceremony at the ministry in Seoul on Mar. 14. After the welcoming ceremony, two ministers discussed ways to boost bilateral defense exchanges and arms trade, the ministry said. It also said that they exchanged opinions related to regional security matters.

Earlier on Mar. 13, Gazmin landed on South Korea for his four-day visit here. Gazmin visited the Seoul National Cemetry in Dongjak, Seoul, and a 1950-53 Korean War Veterans Memorial for the Philippines in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi, to pay solemn respect to war deads.

Gazmin have also toured major defense firms. Filipino defense minister, who had served as a commander-in-chief of the Philippines Armed Forces and the ambassador to Cambodia, took ministerial position since June last year.

The Philippines, one of South Korea's traditional allies, had sent some 7,400 troops each year during and after the Korean War between September 1950 and 1955 to fight for freedom of South Korea.

After signing memorandum of understanding related to cooperation on defense and war industry with the Philippines in May 1994, South Korea had either donate F-5A fighters, Patrol Killer Medium and T-41 jets for entry level pilot training for free or sold them.

Text Fwd: U.S. and S.Korea to launch Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise

Hankyoreh
U.S. and S.Korea to launch Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise
:The drill has remained highly criticized by N.Korea, and has resulted in suspended inter-Korean military communications
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff Writer
Posted on : Feb.16,2011 15:10 KST　
　

The Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced Tuesday that South Korea and the United States plan to conduct the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise, an annual drill held to prepare for a total war on the Korean Peninsula, from Feb. 28 to March 10. Parts of the drill regarding sudden changes in North Korea, such as regime change or proliferation of North Korean nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), have reportedly been strengthened in comparison to last year.

A military source said the drills regarding sudden changes in North Korea were conducted during last August’s Ulchi Focus Guardian drill and last year’s Key Resolve drill. He said this year’s drill will apply as its base OPLAN 5027, which provides for a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula, but the importance of the drills regarding sudden changes in North Korea has been increased. OPLAN 5027 is predicated on a full-scale war in Korea resulting from a North Korean provocation, and calls for the emergency deployment of massive U.S. reinforcements and equipment from the American mainland to beat back the North Korean invasion and advance north of Pyongyang.

The drills preparing for a sudden change in North Korea include the proliferation of WMBs like biological weapons, nuclear warheads and missiles; regime change in North Korea; a North Korean civil war brought about by a coup; a South Korean hostage situation in North Korea; a flood of North Korean refugees; and large-scale natural disasters.

South Korea and the United States plan to strengthen drills to remove North Korean nuclear weapons and WMDs. Since August 2008, when Kim Jong-il’s health deteriorated, the United States has reportedly shown heightened interest in North Korean nuclear weapons and WMDs going “loose” during a sudden change in North Korea.

Around 12,800 U.S. personnel will participate in the Key Resolve (10,500 troops) and Foal Eagle (1,500 troops) exercises, including an aircraft carrier, USFK and U.S. troops outside of Korea, while some 200,000 South Korean troops will participate. The CFC reported to North Korea the schedule of the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises at Panmunjeom at 10 a.m. Tuesday. North Korea has criticized the exercises every year as “drills to invade North Korea,” and countered in 2009 by suspending inter-Korean military communication lines and in 2010 by suspending military talks with the United States and South Korea.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: US to redeploy troops in Korea from 2017

Korea Times
'US to redeploy troops in Korea from 2017'
By Jung Sung-ki
08-26-2010 17:04

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will start deploying some of its troops to other parts of the region in 2017 under the U.S. Army’s broad transformation worldwide, according to officials at Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Combined Forces Command (CFC) Thursday.

The move is in line with the planned relocation of U.S. bases and facilities to Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province and the stabilization of the USFK’s longer, family-accompanied “tour normalization” plan by that time, the officials said.

It is the first time that the timeline for the so-called strategic flexibility of U.S. forces has been unveiled.

The transformation process officially began on June 16 when the 8th Army was designated as a field army construct, said a CFC official.

“The plan is part of the 8th Army’s larger transformation into a forward-deployed warfighting headquarters that would not only be responsible for the defense of South Korea but responsible for contingencies off the peninsula,” the official said, asking not to be named.

U.S. soldiers could be deployed on a rotational basis and come back to South Korea where their family members are stationed, he noted.

The 8th Army will continue to be headed by a three-star general, while its headquarters will move from Seoul to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, which will be tripled in size to accommodate most U.S. forces and facilities on the peninsula, he added.

Lt. Col. Jeff Buczkowski, spokesman for the 8th U.S. Army, was unavailable for comments.

USFK spokesman David Oten declined to elaborate on the transformation, saying he had no information available.

On Wednesday, Buczkowski was quoted by the Stars and Stripes as saying that no decisions have been made about how many soldiers could deploy at a time, but “any dip below the current U.S. troop strength of 28,500 would be only temporary.”

The spokesman said the 8th Army’s main role will continue to be acting as a deterrent against North Korea and the ability to deploy troops will give the command a “regional focus rather than a peninsula focus.”

The 8th Army currently serves as a force provider to a theater commander. By the end of the transformation, it will become a “field army” or an “echelon above corps” capable of commanding multiple U.S. and multinational corps, said Buczkowski.

The possibility of U.S. troops’ redeployment to other regions has raised concerns here amid fears that such a move could weaken the U.S. military’s commitment to the security of South Korea against North Korean attacks.

A JCS official downplayed such concerns.

“The strategic flexibility involves both concepts of 'flow-out' and 'flow-in,’” the official said. “In terms of flow-out, I don't think the U.S. will deploy large parts of USFK to other regions, given Washington holds the strategic value of the Korean Peninsula in great account and will not ignore security conditions on the peninsula.”

He continued, “Flow-in means the U.S. will dispatch its troops around the globe to the peninsula faster than ever before in case of an emergency, so that deterrence against North Korea will be further improved. So I don't think we'll face any security vacuum because of the strategic flexibility plan.”

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has hinted at the redeployment of U.S. troops in South Korea in recent months.

In a town-hall meeting with U.S. forces here in July, Mullen said, “Part of the discussion we are having with the Republic of Korea, with the leadership, and what we will be able to do in the next several years is support for deployments, literally, off the peninsula.

“But we're not there yet. We haven't got to that point in time. But will there be rotational options? And part of this is, quite frankly, a regional issue,” he said.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: Allies reassess NK military threat

Korea Times
Allies reassess NK military threat
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff reporter
June 27, 2010

An agreement by the leaders of Seoul and Washington to delay the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) by some three and a half years to Dec. 1, 2015 comes after the allies reevaluated the threat posed by North Korea's asymmetrical and irregular warfare capability.

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan confirmed last week that talks have been under way between Seoul and Washington to reschedule the transfer of wartime control, saying Seoul had begun rethinking the issue as a result of North Korea conducting a second nuclear test last year.

Moreover, the sinking of a South Korean warship in March in the West Sea apparently propelled the reconsideration of the timeline for the transfer of OPCON of South Korean troops during wartime from the U.S. military to Korean commanders, officials and experts here said.

A multinational investigation team concluded last month that the Cheonan ship was sunk by a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine.

The incident revealed loopholes in the defense readiness and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability against North Korean warfare tactics on top of the communist regime's missile and nuclear programs, they said.

"To take over the OPCON, our military has prepared to secure enough independent capability regarding ISR, C4I digital command structures and precision striking since the 2007 agreement," an official at the Ministry of National Defense said. "But the original plan has turned out to be not realistic, and that's why we've agreed to delay the timeline to 2015."

Follow-up measures for the delay of the OPCON transition will be discussed at the "2+2" meeting of foreign and defense ministers from the two countries in July in Seoul and the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) of defense ministers in October in Washington, D.C., he said.

For South Korea, securing independent ISR assets has been referred to as a daunting task to retaking the wartime command that was handed over to the U.S. military with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.

But the planned acquisition of ISR systems has been postponed due largely to budget shortfalls. Major ISR assets, including U.S.-built Global Hawk high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles and domestically-built signal intelligence surveillance aircraft, are scheduled to be introduced by 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Both militaries have also been struggling to set up new C4I digital command structures to make them interoperable following the OPCON transfer.

The timeline for 2015 also coincides with the changed timetable for the relocation of U.S. bases and facilities to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The relocation project had been set for 2008, but the plan has been deferred due to budget problems and opposition from Pyeongtaek residents.

Under the Defense Reform 2020 plan, the South Korean Army was to launch an integrated command for ground operations, as the U.S. Forces Korea would shift its role to a naval- and air-centric one after the 2012 OPCON transition. But this plan has also been stalled.

After several years of negotiations, the governments of South Korea and the United States agreed in 2007 that Seoul would execute independent OPCON beginning April 17, 2012. Washington had called for the transfer by 2009.

The two sides also agreed on command rearrangement after disbanding the Combined Forces Command, which is to be replaced by a South Korean-U.S. "military cooperation center," a joint body for combat operations.

South Korean conservatives regard the command changes as a U.S. move to reduce its security commitment to South Korea.

They have argued that the smaller role of the U.S. military amid lingering threats posed by the reclusive North could tip the military balance on the Korean Peninsula.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fw: Seoul seeks documentation of US troop strength in Korea

Korea Times
05-09-2010 19:07
Seoul seeks documentation of US troop strength in Korea
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

The presence of 28,500-strong U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula is expected to be stipulated in "defense guidelines" to be drawn up by Seoul and Washington in coming months, a government official said Sunday.

The move comes amid lingering speculation that the U.S. troop level in Korea will eventually decrease after 2012 when the U.S. military relinquishes its operational control of South Korean troops during wartime to Korean commanders.

"Despite repeated explanations by both governments, speculation continues about a possible drawdown of U.S. troops in Korea following the planned transition of wartime control," a senior defense ministry official said.

"To dispel such a misunderstanding and reaffirm the solid ROK-U.S. alliance, we're considering stipulating the presence of the current-level U.S. troops in Korea in a diplomatic and defense document," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The pledge on the U.S. troop-level is expected to be put in defense guidelines to be adopted in the forthcoming "2+2" meeting of foreign and defense ministers from Korea and the United States, which is slated for as early as next month in Seoul, or in the Security Consultative Meeting between the defense chiefs from the two allies in October, he said.

The guidelines, similar to the U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines established in 1996, would include key measures to strengthen military cooperation between the two governments, he said.

Among the topics are U.S. reinforcement plans in case of war on the peninsula and the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

Under a 2007 deal on command rearrangements, the U.S. military on the peninsula is to shift to an air- and naval-centric supporting role with the Korean military taking over main combat operations in the event of military conflicts.

The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) is to be deactivated and two separate theater commands of both militaries will be put in place instead.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr


* Related article

Yonhap News

2010/05/09 11:37 KST
S. Korea, U.S. to reaffirm current level of troop presence in writing: official
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap)

Text Fwd: South Korea Post Readies for More Troops, Families

* Image source: same as the below link

An artist’s rendering of the new downtown area of U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea, shows lots of family-friendly services and amenities. Courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);
high-resolution image available.
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* For the Related blog, see HERE.

Makiko Sato has also thankfully informed the below link on Korea Command (KORCOM) on March 26, 2010. Please see it HERE.

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* Text informed by Corazon Valdez Fabros through AP- No Bases on March 27, 2010

South Korea Post Readies for More Troops, Families

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service (DOD News)

U.S. ARMY GARRISON HUMPHREYS, South Korea, March 26, 2010 – “If you build it, they will come.”

The massive military community rising from the rice paddies here dwarfs anything Kevin Costner’s character might have envisioned in the movie “Field of Dreams.”

The old Camp Humphreys is transforming from a quiet aviation base off the beaten track from Pyongtaek into a major hub for U.S. forces in South Korea. It’s part of a major realignment of the 28,500 servicemembers in Korea, with nearly all of them to move south of the Han River within the next several years.

All but a tiny residual force will leave U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, current home to U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Korea in the heart of Seoul, and the 2nd Infantry Division and its supporting elements will relocate from Camp Casey and its tiny satellite bases north of the capital.

Most will consolidate at a U.S. military base being built here that’s unlike anything ever seen before on the Korean peninsula.

The project is moving forward, full speed ahead, Army Gen. Walter “Skip” Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, reported to the House Armed Services Committee yesterday.

“We are on track, over the next five or six years, to complete all of the construction down there,” he told the panel. “We will actually start moving down there in 2012, and then phase that in over the next several years following that.”

Sharp resisted setting a definitive timetable for completion, but said the effort is on the fast track.

“We're trying to do it as quickly as possible, to be able to return this land of the Republic of Korea and to consolidate our forces to improve the quality of life for our servicemembers,” he told Congress.

At Humphreys, Army Col. Joseph Moore, the garrison commander, gets excited talking about the enormity of the project and the unprecedented quality of life it will offer.

Initial plans called for the post’s population to more than quadruple from the current 10,000, which includes 4,200 military members and about 2,500 U.S. civilian employees, contractors and family members. But a new dynamic added to the mix just as the relocation plan was being launched – the normalization of tours in South Korea – is expected to further increase the scope of the project, Moore said.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced in December the extension of tour lengths in Korea. Under the normalization plan, single servicemembers will serve two-year tours, and married troops who bring their families will stay for three years.

So instead of about 1,900 family members currently here, and about 15,000 expected to arrive as U.S. forces relocate south and more command-sponsored slots are offered, Moore estimates that the post ultimately could become home to as many as 30,000 family members, swelling the base’s total population to more than 62,000.

Bulldozers are busy at work, preparing for their arrival. The result essentially will be a brand-new installation, unrecognizable to anyone who has served in the hodgepodge of buildings built at Humphreys over the decades to accommodate troops serving one-year, unaccompanied tours.

Seventy percent of those existing buildings will be razed, explained Todd Dirmeyer, chief master planner for the project. Replacing them will be a state-of-the-art community planned from the ground up to accommodate servicemembers and their families. The new Humphreys complex will dwarf the current post, tripling its size to almost 3,600 acres and providing about 30 million square feet in finished building space, compared to the current 4 million.

For comparison’s sake, Fort Bliss, Texas, the U.S. installation experiencing the most growth due to base realignment and closure mandates, is adding 13 million square feet of facilities, Moore noted.

“It really is an awesome thing, if you think about it, because we are going to build a city here,” he said. “This is like starting with a blank canvas that considers the whole of the property and the timing of the demolition and construction. At the end of it, we will have essentially a new installation, instead of a new one adjoined to an old one.”

That new installation will provide state-of-the-art unit training, maintenance and equipment storage facilities, as well as modern housing, dining and recreational amenities, Dirmeyer said.

The plan incorporates lessons from Fort Bliss and other BRAC installations, from the multi-story post exchange that’s proven successful at Kadena Air Base, Japan, and from the transformation Moore oversaw at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

“This represents a new vision, with efficient and thoughtful facility placement,” Dirmeyer said as he looked over a map of the post dotted with different-colored squares and rectangles representing facilities to be built.

“The maneuver and training areas designated for local training are situated away from the housing, recreational and commercial areas. The industrial areas and vehicle maintenance facilities are away from those areas,” he said. “Troop housing is within walking distance of working areas. Family housing is in a commercial area, with family-friendly facilities and schools within walking distance or an easy commute.”

Barracks will be the popular “one plus one” design, in which servicemembers have private bedrooms and bathrooms, but share a common living area. A private company will pay for, build and manage most family housing units, similar to the residential communities initiative being used at stateside posts.

A downtown shopping area, built around a food, beverage and entertainment complex, will give garrison residents a sense of Hometown USA, Dirmeyer said. An aquatics park that opened in 2006 already has proven to be a big hit, as well as the new community fitness center, affectionately called the “Super Gym.”

While providing these and other quality-of-life amenities, the planners took pains to preserving green spaces. Walkways connect living and working areas, and ball fields, picnic areas and a riverfront jogging path will beckon residents outdoors.

Even with his latest challenge -- accommodating an additional 15,000 family members due to tour normalization -- Moore is committed to preserving sweeping outdoor areas. “We’re looking at a lot of different options, and we have a lot of ideas,” he said. “What we don’t want is to sacrifice what is really a great plan by plugging additional buildings in almost randomly.”

As these final decisions get made and the weather warms up, Humphreys is buzzing with construction activity.

Eighteen construction projects, with a contract value of $1.2 billion, already are under way on the existing post. Another 57 projects are in the planning and design process.

Meanwhile, a massive effort is under way to build up the rice paddies surrounding the post to accommodate the new construction. The land needs to be built up almost 15 feet to bring it above the 50-year flood plain, Moore said.

That, Dirmeyer explained, takes a lot of dirt.

“On a busy day this summer, you would see upward of 3,000 vehicles in a single day, bringing dirt in here,” he said. “If you took all the mileage from the first truck to the very last truck required to do this land expansion, it would equal 17 round-trips to the moon. And if you took allthe fill, it would fill the Hoover Dam.” As the land is built up, giant piles are being driven into the ground to provide a stable building site.

As the planning and building processes take place, Moore said, the biggest challenge is ensuring it never interferes with the U.S. mission here.

“My first goal is to support General Sharp’s first priority: to be prepared to fight tonight,” he said. “So everything we do has to be connected to that first goal. We cannot do something that would interrupt a unit’s ability to do its mission.”

The effort here also supports Sharp’s priority of strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance because of the cooperative way it’s being planned, funded and built, Moore said.

Moore said he’s particularly proud of the quality-of-life improvements the new U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys will provide U.S. servicemembers and their families, fulfilling Sharp’s third command priority.

Ultimately, Moore said he expects Humphreys to be the assignment of choice for U.S. forces who come to see it as the best place to serve in South Korea.

“This ought to sell itself. We ought not have to sell Humphreys,” he said. “If we do it well, it will sell itself, and servicemembers will tell other servicemembers that this is a great place to live.”

Biographies:
Army Gen. Walter Sharp

Related Sites:
U.S. Forces Korea
U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys

Related Articles:
Commander, Troops Support Korea Tour Plan

The planners of the new U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys complex in South Korea took pains to provide plenty of green space as well as a waterfront area that will invite servicemembers and their families outdoors. Courtesy photo
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Families at the new U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea, will live in modern, high-rise units convenient to schools, churches, shopping and other services. Courtesy photo
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Barracks being built at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea, feature the popular “one plus one” design in which troops have private bedrooms and bathrooms, but share a common living area. Courtesy photo
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Text Fw: Guam references in appropriations request statement - Admiral Robert F. Willard

* Text informed by Martha Duenas through Famoksaiyan Friends (and thankfully reminded by Makiko Sato) on March 26, 2010. The color emphasis is by Martha Duenas.
________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL ROBERT F. WILLARD,
U.S. NAVY COMMANDER U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND

BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION

ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND

MARCH 24, 2010

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 11 MILCON [pdf page 3]

In FY11, USPACOM is postured to request funding for facilities and infrastructure to support U.S. military forces and their families. MILCON requested by the services in the Pacific AOR is categorized into four broad areas: Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI), Republic of Korea (ROK) Transformation, Grow-the-Force, and Sustainment.

DEFENSE POLICY REVIEW INITIATIVE

Rapid response in the Asia-Pacific region hinges on flexibility, speed and forward basing of our military forces. On May 1, 2006, the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense and their Japanese counterparts released the Roadmap for Realignment, which outlines the overall implementation for the relocation of U.S. forces in Japan. The importance of the Roadmap was reaffirmed in February 2009 in a second agreement signed by Secretary of State Clinton and her Government of Japan counterpart. Moreover, the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI) agreed to with Japan will sustain the capacity of our forward ground forces while addressing the burden-sharing concerns of our Japanese hosts. The majority of DPRI actions remain on track and Japan is shouldering most of the planned facility construction costs associated with the agreed changes. The exception is the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF). The newly elected Japanese government is presently reviewing the plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to another location on Okinawa. We are optimistic that the Government of Japan will fully reaffirm the 2006 GoJ-U.S. agreement by May 2010. The relocation of MCAS Futenma, which affirms the continued presence of Marine Corps airlift capability on Okinawa, is the critical element enabling the relocation of 8,000 Marines to Guam. Per the agreement, U.S. MILCON funds will contribute to the costs for facility and infrastructure construction on Guam to support the relocating Marines and their dependents.

Guam: As do the Okinawa-based Marines, Guam-based forces offer the strategic flexibility and response needed for the U.S. to be postured for contingencies in the Asia-Pacific. MILCON funding is in turn a vital enabler for the timely relocation of Marines to Guam. FY11 funding continues our contribution to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap estimated facilities and infrastructure cost on Guam of $10.3 billion. Under the agreement, Japan will provide $6.1 billion of the funding with the U.S. providing the remaining funding. Japan committed its first increment of funds by appropriating $336 million in May 2009. We are hopeful their second increment of funding, expected in 2010, will further demonstrate their commitment to the effort. In our request, FY11 MILCON funding totaling $427 million will provide utilities and airfield ramp space to bed-down Marine aviation at Andersen AFB and wharf improvements at Apra Harbor. Additional investments will be needed to improve off-base Guam infrastructure, such as roads and bridges critical to the successful throughput of materials to the planned Marine Corps installation.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA (ROK) TRANSFORMATION [pdf page 4]

We continue to work with the Republic of Korea to realign and enhance U.S. force posture to ensure an effective and sustainable long-term presence on the Korean Peninsula which underlies our steadfast commitment to the defense of the ROK. Although the ROK is providing much of the funding for the planned changes, MILCON funds are needed for some facility construction and infrastructure.

The United States will develop a more capable and responsive U.S. and combined force posture in the ROK to strengthen the alliance’s deterrent and defense capabilities and long-term capacity for regional and global defense cooperation. Projects for the Land Partnership Plan and the Yongsan Relocation Plan include relocating U.S. troops out of downtown Seoul, returning the majority of Yongsan Army Garrison to the ROK, and consolidating our troops into two primary hubs south of Seoul. This effort sustains a strong U.S. combat presence on the Peninsula, while lessening the intrusiveness of our force presence in major urban centers like Seoul. We anticipate the ROK continuing to fund much of the facilities and infrastructure construction for this USFK realignment. For FY11, ROK Transformation includes the relocation of an Air Force heavy engineer construction unit to Guam. Eight million is requested to construct a headquarters facility at Andersen AFB for this engineer unit.

...

SUSTAINMENT MILCON – QUALITY OF LIFE [pdf page 8]

Quality of Life for our activity duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their dependents continues to be a key enabler and retention factor for these Americans serving overseas often thousands of miles and many time zones away from family and loved ones. FY11, $644 million of requested Quality of Life MILCON will ensure we provide adequate housing, medical facilities, and recreation opportunities to these men, women and their families. MARFORPAC requests $30 million to replace an undersized and outdated fitness center at Camp H.M. Smith Hawaii. US Forces Korea seeks $20 million to upgrade utility systems at Camp Walker.

Bachelor Housing: In FY11, USPACOM requests $346 million for six barracks projects. PACAF plans to construct a student barracks worth $12 million at the Pacific Regional Training Center at Andersen AFB Guam. USARPAC seeks $216 million in Hawaii to renovate and construct barracks at Schofield Barracks and Tripler Army Medical Center. Naval Station San Diego California requests $75 million to construct junior enlisted quarters. Finally, MARFORPAC requires $43 million for bachelor enlisted quarters at Camp Pendleton.

...

Medical: $70 million is required in Guam to support the second increment of replacement of the outdated 1950s era hospital. When complete the hospital will provide modern state of the art medical services for activity duty members and dependents including the planned additional Marine personnel. Camp Carroll in Korea requires $20 million to provide a consolidated health-dental clinic.

http://appropriations.house.gov/Witness_testimony/MC/Robert_Willard.3.24.10.pdf

Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

3/24/10

Hearing- Pacific Command
10:00 AM, H143, The Capitol

- Admiral Robert F. Willard, U.S. Navy, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command(Testimony)
- General Walter “Skip” Sharp, Commander, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command, and Commander, United States Forces Korea(Testimony)

http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_mivet.shtml

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House Armed Services Committee

Ike Skelton, Chairman http://armedservices.house.gov

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2010 Contact: Lara Battles or Jennifer Kohl

202-225-2539

Opening Statement of Chairman Ike Skelton

Hearing on the FY 2011 Budget Requests from U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea

Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) delivered the following opening statement during today’s hearing on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget requests from U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea:

“Today the committee will continue its posture hearings with Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command and General “Skip” Sharp, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea. At the outset, I want to welcome you both back to the committee, and thank you for your excellent leadership. I also want to thank the troops that you lead, along with their families, for their incredible service and personal sacrifice.

“There is an ever present danger that we in Washington are so focused on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq that security challenges elsewhere in the world will not get the attention they merit. More concretely, as a result of the last nine years of operations, the readiness posture of all the combatant commands outside the Middle East has suffered, creating heightened strategic risk. There are clear examples of these problems in the Asia-Pacific, and I believe that we ignore them at our peril.

“Let me review just a few of the daunting challenges ahead in the Asia-Pacific. The rebasing of U.S. Marines from Japan to Guam is one of the largest movements of military assets in decades, estimated to cost over ten billion dollars. The changes being planned as part of that move will not only affect our bilateral relationship with Japan; they will shape our strategic posture throughout the critical Asia-Pacific region for 50 years or more.

“Yet the path forward remains unclear. Japan is reassessing the agreement to move troops from Okinawa to Guam. It does not appear that the budget includes sufficient funds to accomplish the agreement -- and the Environmental Protection Agency has identified problems with the rebasing plan’s environmental impacts. We must get this right, and I assure you that this committee will work to ensure that we do.

“Last year North Korea launched a Taepo-Dong-2 missile over Japan; conducted a second nuclear test; kicked out inspectors; pulled out of the Six Party Talks; and restarted its nuclear facilities. All of this occurred in the context of an uncertain leadership and succession environment that may have fed some of these very concerning events.

“At the same time, our presence in South Korea is transforming. We are undertaking tour normalizations in Korea and substantially relocating our forces, an effort we will hear today has now been postponed for several years. There are also questions about how the new U.S.-South Korea command relationship, starting in 2012, will work. I am most interested in an update on these issues during today’s discussion.

“Never to be forgotten in this region, of course, is China. China recently suspended high-level military and other contacts with the U.S. in response to a U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. While China’s announced defense budget increase for this year is less than it has been in the past, their budget is still growing rapidly and the linkage between their stated strategic intentions and their actions remains unclear in certain areas. China conducted an unexpected mid-course missile interception test earlier this year- and reports of cyber-attacks from China against Google and other large U.S. companies continue to be troubling.

“We must be proactively engaged in the Asia-Pacific region on multiple fronts, and realize that our own actions may well influence the choices and actions of others. We must be able to pursue opportunities for security cooperation with regional allies and partners. At the same time, we must ensure that our force posture allows us to deter or to confront any security challenge that might emerge in this part of the world. We have difficult work to do to get there. I am pleased that the Department of Defense and Obama administration have already taken a number of positive steps in this direction and I hope to see more as we move forward.

“I now turn to my able Ranking Member, Buck McKeon, for any statement he may wish to make.”

Text Fwd: USFK Chief Sees Base Relocation to End in 2015

* Korea Times
03-21-2010 20:04
USFK Chief Sees Base Relocation to End in 2015

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK),
indicated that it could take five or six years before U.S. troops move
to a consolidated military base south of the Han River due to the size
and complexity of the massive relocation project.

Sharp, who also serves as chief of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces
Command and the United Nations Command, made the remarks in an
interview with the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military news paper.

The four-star general didn't give an exact date for the move,
according to the newspaper. The base relocation had been set by
previous USFK commanders for 2008 and later for 2012.

The move of U.S. troops to south of Seoul is part of a broader U.S.
military realignment abroad and also a major step in the USFK shifting
to a supporting role in the next few years as the South Korean
military assumes the key responsibility for its national defense.

Observers see the mission of Camp Humphreys, the consolidated base in
Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, will be gradually less focused on the
threat from North Korea and more on threats elsewhere in the region.
Works to expand the camp are under way with investment of some $13
billion.

"We're progressing well," Sharp said, adding there are still
difficulties coordinating construction and moving troops and their
families.

The move to Humphreys will roughly halve the number of U.S. military
installations in South Korea from about 105 to 45, said the commander.

Sharp said he was satisfied with the results of the latest Key Resolve
joint war exercises with the ROK military, which ended last Thursday.

Part of the exercise tackled what the two countries would do during
and before a North Korean attack, including trying to deescalate the
crisis before it turns into a war and how to bring in additional
troops, he said.

Citing the South Korean staff's active participation in the
simulation-driven command-post exercise, Sharp said, "They were in the
battle rhythm of us making decisions, of us coordinating with them, of
them giving recommendations.

"It was more than them just watching us. It was them participating
with us," he added.

South Korean commanders will take over operational control of their
troops during wartime beginning April 17, 2012. Currently, the USFK
commander holds the responsibility.

About 28,000 U.S. forces are stationed here as a deterrent against North Korea.

* Related article

Stars and Stripes ( * Information thankfully sent from Lindis Percy on March 21, 2010
USFK commander sees Humphreys move in 5 to 6 years
By Ashley Rowland,
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 21, 2010

Key Resolve and Protest in Pochun on March 12

* Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK)

____________________________________________________________________________

* The below is the summary on the US-SK joint marine training in the Rodriguez Complex Range, in Pochun, as a part of Key Resolve, and protest against it, on March 12, 2010 (arbitrary translated). This site is composed of the three parts. Please click the images for larger view.

____________________________________________________________________________

1. On the Protest on March 12: No War Rehearsal!

At 10am on March 12, about 12 activists of whom most were the SPARK activists gathered in front of the Rodriguez Complex Range, in Pochun, near the DMZ, to protest the US-SK marine war exercise there. Many police have been mobilized around the press interview site. Slogans such as ‘Go away, United States Force, Destroyer of Peace!’; ‘ US Augmented Force Aiming the Attack on North Korea, Go Back!” ;‘The Invasive Exercise against the North Korea Aiming at the Occupation of Pyeongyang is Illegal!’; ‘Stop, Real Fire War Exercise!’ ;and 'Stop the Invasive Exercise against North Korea, Which Destroys Peace in the Korean Peninsula!’ have been shown and shouted. About the contents of exercise, please see the summaries below (2, 3).




For more photos, click HERE (Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK))
____________________________________________________________________________

2. On the “US-SK Military Training for the ‘Urban Area Combat & Real Fire’ and the Northern Gyunggi Military Training Field”

* Below is the parts arbitrarily translated from the article by Park Suk-Jin, a member of the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification (SPARK) . The whole article is called, “US-SK Military Training for the ‘Urban Area Combat & Real Fire’ and the Northern Gyunggi Military Training Field.”

* Image source: see HERE

Rodriguez Complex Range, in Pochun is near the DMZ (top right in the above photo). Along with it, many military training fields
exist in the vicinity, as well. One of those is the Mugeon-ri military training field
where the Ohyun-ri villagers have long fought and still fight against the expansion of it.

* Image source: No Base Stories of Korea
The two military training fields fenced with the red walls are located seeing each other at the both sides of stream as in the photos. According to the SPARK activists, the red walls have been set up since last year so that people outside can not see the training field inside.

"The Rodriguez Complex Range, located in Youngpyeong-ri, Youngjoong-myeon, City of Pochun is about 4,500,000 pyeong (1 pyeong=3.3058 square meters) size and the US Force’s exclusive training field, which is under the jurisdiction of the US 8th Army. This is the complex range that supervises the training of the United States forces in Korea and the place where the US striker units in mainland of the United States and Japan get trainings as well. The urban area combat and real fire trainings by the SK-US joint marines are practiced in every Key Resolve exercise, as well. This year, the urban military operation exercise and night battle medical exercise are practiced without fail on March 12, while the US marine's field-gun real fire exercise is on March 15.

One of the reasons that we notice on the Rodriguez Complex Range, Youngpyeong-ri is because of the training content that is processed here. As soon as the Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced last February that it would do the Key Resolve/ Foal Eagle exercise, the North Korea, strongly urging to immediately stop the invasive exercise that was for the attack against North Korea entered into, ‘ All Military’s Emergency Posture in War’. The CFC totally ignored the claim by North Korea, saying that the North Korea was overly sensitive on the ‘annual defense exercise.’

However, it becomes clear that it is the lie if one looks at the contents of the military exercise processed in the Rodriguex Complex Range, Youngpyeong-ri. It is because the main contents of the training are premised on such as the strike against the North Korea command headquarter and the urban area battles in the main cities of North Korea, done by the SK-US joint marine. There must Pyeongyang, capital of North Korea, be included, in the main cities that are premised. It is only questionable how the training exercise aimed to occupy the North Korean capital could be the defense exercise.

About 210 US forces of the L (Lima) company of the 31st marine expeditionary forces, dispatched from Okinawa, have participated in the SK-US joint marine urban combat training and real fire training, as part of Key Resolve last year. The 31st marine expeditionary force, composed of about 2, 200 soldiers, is one of the units that is first dispatched, in case of emergency in the Korean peninsula. To say the SK marine, the marines who belong to the 2nd division have participated. And it is heard that the each soldier of the both SK-US forces making the 1:1 fair and practicing the training, the US force instructed the ROK force the urban battle techniques that the US forces had learnt in Iraq.

Another problem of the Rodriguez Complex Range, Yoingpyeong is that the local villagers’ suffering is serious because of often misfire accidents and noise, produced during the fire trainings. In reality, a bomb was dropped in front of the cattle barn in the vicinity ranch, Yami-ri, Youngpyeong myeon, Pochun-gun, last October, 2000 and only a few days later, a caravan warhead has even been inserted into the dining table of a restaurant in the same village. The noise problem that is brought out during the fire training is serious as well. Even though the noise during the training reaches 100db, and is serious as to bring out the mental derangement, the US forces have been consistent without any response on it.

Beside Rodriguez Complex Range, there are two more US Forces’ exclusive training fields in the northern Gyunngi province. Those are the Story range (2,150,000 pyeong), located in Jangpa-ri, Papyeong-myeon, City of Paju and Dagma North Training Area (1,750,000 pyeong), located in Jangjwa-ri, Juksung-myeon, faces the former with each other across the Imjin river. (The two places are bearing many problems due to the environmental damage and indiscriminating harm against the cultural treasures, as well.) As a result, the United States forces have routinely been doing all the military exercises of such as infantry, artillery, tank, which are needed for the landing attack, through those three training fields.

Adding of the SK-US joint training field that has been provided to the US force, based on the Land Partnership Plan (LPP) in 2002, the United States force has secured the training field of 47,740,000 pyeong only in the northern Gyunggi, whose size is 53 times of Yoido (* Yoido is one of the districts of Seoul. The ROK National Assemble exists here). It is not exaggeration to say that most areas of the north of Seoul have become the US forces’ war drill fields."
____________________________________________________________________________

3. On the training on March 12: Witness by a Tongil news reporter

*Koh Sung-Jin, a Tongil news reporter who could watch the US-SK joint marine training in the Rodriguez Complex Range, in Pochun, as a part of Key Resolve, on March 12, 2010, by the open chance to press of the war drill, reported about the training in the article called, “ROK-US Practiced Company Level Size Urban Combat Training : 'Tactic Exchange and Rapport through the Training'.. No Blank Ammunitions Were Used This Year.”

Image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 12, 2010

“At 10am, on March 12, Friday, about 50 forces of the ROK 1company belong to the ROK 2nd marine brigade and the US 3rd reconnaissance battalion of the US 3rd marine division (belong to Okinawa), weaved the every places of the urban military training field where about 10 buildings were deployed, for about 1 hours and 30 minutes, in the Rodriguez Complex Range, Youngpyeong-li, Youngjung Myeon, City of Pochun.

No blank ammunitions that had been used at once last year, invoking the real fire, were not used this year’s training. According to the related personnel of the Combined Forces Command, it was largely due to the safety reason. "

Image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 12, 2010

"The US forces and the ROK forces have repeated the entering exercise into buildings, fitting into the signs prepared prior to the training. It was the pattern that, while the ROK forces did the covering fire behind then the US forces in front of the group first entered into building and the ROK forces followed them.

“ The US guys killed our loved ones. We cannot bear any more those atrocities committed by such US guys. Let’s fight for our rights. The US guys didn’t come here to help us.”

About 10 US and ROK forces in line attempted to enter Into the building where a man’s voice like above was repeatedly heard through a loud speaker. The joint forces entered and occupied the two stories building at a blink moment."

Image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 12, 2010

"Overall, it was often shown that the US forces informed the ROK forces the building-entering tips and movement directions. The US marine related personnel said that part of the US forces who participated in the training had had the experience to be in the defined time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Beside the urban training, search and reconnaissance training, emergency medical training for the night battles were staged near the hill site at the same time. Otherwise, ‘Live Fire Shoot House’ training aimed at making least of the damage by distinguishing the friend forces & enemy forces, when entering buildings during the urban combat situation, were also processed.”

* For more photos on the US-SK joint marine training, Pochun, March 12, by Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, see HERE.

Key Resolve, US-SK Annual War Exercise Starts in the Korean Peninsula on March 8 and Nationwide Protests against it, as Well

* Image source: Shin So-yeong/The Hankyoreh on March 9, 2010

'Members of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea hold a press conference to oppose the annual joint exercise between the South Korean and U.S. militaries called Key Resolve in front of the war command post of the
Combined Forces Command located in Sungnam City, Gyeonggi Province, March 8.

Key Resolve, which began on the same day, has received intense criticism from North Korea.
The North Korean army issued a statement in which it ordered its army forces to assume a battle position
in response to the Key Resolve exercise on March 7.

Key Resolve is the name that was given to the exercise in 2008 previously known as RSOI, which stands for
Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration.

The South Korea and the U.S. have called the exercise a defense drill, however,
North Korea has labeled it training for an invasion.'

* Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK)
'Let’s stop the war and blossom the flowers'

TANGO, CFC, Sungnam
(reference source: Koh Sung-Jin
image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 8, 2010)

The civil society organizations including Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea,
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements
and Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR), South Korean branch, by starting with the press interview
on March 8, in front of Theater, Air, Navy, Ground Operation (TANGO), Combined Forces Command,
in Chungye Mt. Sungnam, South of Seoul, announced that, “By coming 18, we, through ‘the simultaneous anti-war & peace joint actions’ centered in the main USFK bases and cities nationwide,
including Seoul, will urge to sop the invasive war exercise, and will spread our will for the realization of peace that has been longtime wished for.”

image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 8, 2010
"Let’s stop the war and blossom the flowers"

image source: Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News, March 8, 2010

Pyeongtaek
( reference/image source: Pyeongteak Peace Center)

About 30 activists from various organizations in Pyeongteak have gathered in front of Songtan branch, Pyeongteak City Hall on March 8, to denounce the Key Resolve exercise and to urge the stop of the additional runway in the Songtan USFK. The Pyeongtaek activists pointing out that the construction for additional runway in the Songtan USFK, which is planned to be completed by 2011, is for the realization of the strategic flexibility in the Korean peninsula, appealed to Pyeongtaek citizens to stop the construction. [The activists also pointed out that the planned return of the war time operation right from the USFK to ROK military has also been conditioned under the strategic flexibility]. The participants decided that they would make the issue of runway by the coming local election on June 2.

Click the image for larger view

"Stop the Key Resolve/ Foal Eagle War exercise and
the 2nd Runway Construction in the Songtan USFK Base!"

-Leaflet distributed to the citizens in Pyeongteak on March 8-

The leaflet was made by Gyunggi-do branch, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement,
Gyunggi-do headquarter of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and
the Pyeongtaek Area Democratic Organizations’ Council.

Incheon
( reference/image source:
Incheon branch, Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea)

The Incheon activists, having the protest in front of Incheon City Hall criticized that the Key Resolve
that has been with the advanced weapons, was not for the defense exercise but for the attack against North Korea,
and was the illegal war exercise, a violation of constitution that pursed the peaceful unification.
They also said that, if the United States and South Korea truly want the dialogue with North Korea,
both authorities of them should stop the Key Resolve war exercise,
as they had stopped the Team Spirit military training in 1994 for the talk with North Korea.
Saying that the western sea in front of Incheon is always in tension including the military clash,
they denounced the war exercise that threatened the peace and heightened tension
in the Korean peninsula.
Finally activists appealed to the citizens to abolish the US-SK war alliance with anti-war peace actions.

Chungnam-do (province)
Image source: SPARK
In front of Chungnam Province Hall (original source: Ohmynews)

Kunsan
Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK)
In front of Kunsan AFB (original source: Newsis)

Busan
Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK)
In front of the United States Consulate (original source: Voice of People)