Pact bolsters U.S. - ROK alliance
Pact bolsters U.S. - ROK alliance
The Eighth Army commander signed a historic agreement June 6 with the commander of the Republic of Korea Army formation that serves along the Korean Demilitarized Zone.During an alliance festival in Yongin, South Korea, Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson signed the memorandum of agreement with Third Republic of Korea, or ROK, Army Commanding General Gen. Lee Hong-ki.The agreement is designed to enhance contingency and armistice combined operations capabilities and strengthen the alliance between the two armies.The agreement includes the formation of sister-unit relationships, combined live-fire training and small unit training.The largest combat formation in the ROK Army, the Third ROK Army, guards the western front along the Korean DMZ.Eighth Army has served on the Korean Peninsula since the earliest days of the Korean War and returned to its operational roots this year as a Field Army, capable of commanding multiple multinational corps-level combat formations.