The Korea Herald

지나쌤

3,500 US troops to deploy to Korea as part of force rotation

By a2017001

Published : May 30, 2017 - 09:47

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WASHINGTON -- A US Army brigade with some 3,500 troops will deploy to South Korea this summer as part of a regular rotation of forces, the Department of the Army has announced.

The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, will replace the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and support the United States Forces-Korea's commitment to Republic of Korea partners, the department said in a statement.

(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

"The Black Jack Brigade looks forward to returning to the Republic of Korea," said Col. Steve Adams, commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, in the statement. "Our troopers are trained and ready for this vital mission, and we are honored to sustain and strengthen this longstanding strategic alliance."

The two brigades have alternately been deployed to South Korea since a permanent unit was decommissioned under a 2014 decision.

US officials have said the decision to have rotational forces, instead of a permanent unit, increases efficiency and cohesion among members of the unit because the entire brigade will be trained, deployed and leave at the same time.

About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the divided peninsula still technically at war. (Yonhap)