ROK Army Officers Become Part of the 2nd Infantry Division’s Combined Staff
Here is an update of the development of the “Combined Division” that the 2nd Infantry Division is developing with the ROK Army:
About 30 South Korean officers, including a one-star general, became part of the 2nd Infantry Division’s headquarters staff Thursday as part of the formation of a combined division.
The integration is one of the first concrete steps the two militaries have taken toward the historic restructuring since the initiative was announced last September.
“U.S. and Korean soldiers will literally operate as one unit with one unified effort,” 2ID commander Maj. Gen. Thomas Vandal was quoted as saying in a 2ID statement. “Nowhere else has this been attempted to the extent that we are going to implement, and the fact that we are able to make this happen is momentous.”
The combined division will fall under the 8th Army and include 2ID forces and South Korea’s 16th Brigade. It will be led by the 2ID commander and a South Korean one-star general – initially Brig. Gen. Yin Sung-hwan — acting as deputy commander. Many of the South Korean officers joining the headquarters staff, composed of approximately 750 U.S. troops, will begin integration training next week, according to the statement.
Officials have said the combined division will improve the allies’ warfighting capabilities and create more opportunities for joint training. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense previously said that during peacetime, troops from each country will live at separate bases and train together as needed. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link.
Though some units have had active training relationships with ROK Army counterparts in the past this is probably something that should have been done long ago that is finally coming to fruition to formalize and better integrate these relationships. Hopefully these headquarters staff ROK officers are not treated as glorified KATUSAs and instead are fully integrated as part of the team. It will be interesting to see how well this works out.
Hmmm…this is all a show, just like KATUSAs. The need for KATUSAs passed long ago and since then has been a good show for our ‘Korea-American alliance’. After the first shots ring out, KATUSA moms and dads are going to say “Hell no you’re not cannon fodder for the Americans” and the Korean generals are going to want to do it their way, the US will want it our way, a total fiasco.
Anyone who’s ever worked for Koreans can see this happening, USFK has always been in a superior position when dealing with the Koreans they deal with.
Fortunately USFK actual is the CFC CDR. The Korean military will have little to no choice in the matter if they want the support of the US during wartime (which they not only want, but absolutely, unequivocally need).
“The need for KATUSAs passed long ago…”
True that. All GI’s sent to Korea these days can read, write, and speak Hangul fluently.
Do we have JATUSA’s or GATUSA’s? The only reason we need KATUSA’s is to translate for who? GI’s engaging the local populace?
Is the argument is that we need KATUSA’s for the possible move North to ‘translate’? One maneuver brigade in 2ID, what about the other two + divisions that would be coming to the peninsula? Do we we have KATUSA reserves that would fall in on those divisions? The truth is we’re putting KATUSAs in positions that could be filled with U.S. soldiers, which denies those soldiers the opportunity to train.
We put KATUSA gunners on tanks because it looks good and then two months later, they’re out of the Army. Whereas the U.S. soldier that could have gotten that experience remained as a loader and driver, then moved on to his next duty station without that training. As a tank commander, I had two separate KATUSAs as gunners and thought it would be good, but looking back I think the denied opportunity for other soldiers, plus the uncertainty if they actually would move north with us vs. being pulled back by the ROK Army, made me change my mind.
At any rate, Korea is all politics and talk, no real training or preparedness