The U.S. has the airlift capability to deliver an Army armored brigade combat team to South Korea in 30 days, a task that would take up to 200 flights by C-17 transports, but moving a larger force—especially into a contested environment—would tax available mobilization assets, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command told Congress.
Mar. 7, 2017
The Army would get some money to begin reversing its active-duty drawdown of recent years, maintain a combat aviation brigade in South Korea, and support four Apache attack helicopter battalions in the National Guard. All of this is under a defense budget bill passed by a key House committee.
The U.S. Army will deploy an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to South Korea by late summer in response to growing threats from communist North Korea, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said.
“You’re going to see the deployment of a THAAD battery. This is an alliance decision. It will come in the next eight to 10 months,” Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks said Nov. 4 at a seminar hosted by the Association of the Republic of Korea Army in Seoul, as reported by South Korean media. Brooks is also commander of U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command.
