US mulls separation of forces with South Korea
The United States is considering separating its forces from South Korea's and establishing an independent command to support the South's troops on the Korean peninsula, the commander of US Forces Korea said on Thursday. South Korea gave the United States command of its troops during the 1950-1953 Korean War. It later regained their peacetime control but US forces would still command South Korean forces in the event of a war. "While no final decisions have been made, we are considering creating two independent commands - one ROK (South Korean) and one US, with US forces in a supporting role to take advantage of US air and naval warfare capabilities," General B.B. Bell told a security forum in South Korea's parliament. He said Washington and Seoul have been studying ways to change the command structure for months.
Posted by: Fred 2006-07-14 |