The U.S. Forces Korea last Friday confirmed that the Eighth Army will stay in South Korea even when full operational control of South Korean troops is transferred to Seoul in 2012. USFK headquarters said the relocation of U.S. military bases to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province and the Eighth Army's stay will consolidate U.S. commitment to a strong Seoul-Washington alliance and the defense of South Korea.
A senior Defense Ministry official said USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp suggested to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Army late last year that the Eighth Army stay in Korea as the symbolic expression of the U.S. commitment to defend the Korean Peninsula, and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff accepted.
The USFK therefore decided not to create an Operational Command Post-Korea which had been mooted to replace the Eighth Army headquarters on relocation to Hawaii. A new Korea Command (KORCOM) will be established next year to replace the current USFK headquarters in preparation for the operational control handover in 2012. And KORCOM will oversee the Eighth Army and Second Infantry Division.
A military source said the decision to keep the Eighth Army in South Korea is part of efforts to alleviate fears among South Koreans about the transfer of the operational control.
Posted by Steve White 2009-11-09 00:00||
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#1 A military source said the decision to keep the Eighth Army in South Korea is part of efforts to alleviate fears among South Koreans about the transfer of the operational control.
What, no parades were planned to celebrate our departure?
Posted by gorb 2009-11-09 00:30||
2009-11-09 00:30||
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#2 Mebbe one day the U.S. Army will be stationed in both Koreas. We didn't listen to Mac and are still paying the price more than a half-century later.
Posted by borgboy 2009-11-09 01:06||
2009-11-09 01:06||
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#3 OOOOOO, lessirree, IIRC STARS-N-STRIPES > seems JAPAN IS REPOR USING WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM TO POWER ITS NUCLEAR REACTORS.
I understand that Japan has positioned to be able to break out if necessary, maybe that's what is being referred to here.
Posted by gorb 2009-11-09 03:05||
2009-11-09 03:05||
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#5 Japan has been "burning" weapons grade plutonium in its reactors for decades. We have been providing a lot of it, too. Some of it came from Russia, some from the US.
Even a conventional reactor starts out with uranium fuel. As fission progresses, a lot of the uranium is converted to plutonium. By the time the fuel is "spent", most of the reaction taking place is plutonium.
Google around for an article titled: Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste
Posted by crosspatch 2009-11-09 03:33||
2009-11-09 03:33||
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Posted by ed 2009-11-09 07:24||
2009-11-09 07:24||
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#7 borgboy: There may be just the opposite outcome. That is, the Chinese might be persuaded that a South Korea led unified Korea is not unacceptable. In fact, it could be very profitable for China as long as the Koreans kept tight border controls.
China could then get send a lot of annoying North Korean illegals home, the South would be busy for decades rebuilding the North. But, very importantly to the Chinese, the Koreans culturally follow "the Chinese Way", which forgives them countless sins.
But this would be dependent on the US 8th Army slowly withdrawing from Korea, just keeping a naval base at Pusan.
If done slowly and gradually, so that the Chinese, the Koreans and the US are comfortable, it could evolve into a much less expensive security situation for the US.
Posted by Anonymoose 2009-11-09 07:51||
2009-11-09 07:51||
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#8 I'm under the impression that many of those annoying North Korean illegals are female, Anonymoose, and therefore are replacing the missing Chinese females for the lower classes. Am I mistaken?
#9 trailing wife: I have no clue on that one. However, China is looking at 30m+ males with no chance, so I doubt that Nork women could take up much of that slack.
Add to that that most of the Norks have been so utterly ground down with perpetual malnutrition that many are retarded, diseased, etc. This is not something pleasant to contemplate.
Posted by Anonymoose 2009-11-09 09:40||
2009-11-09 09:40||
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#10 Iff ISLAMIST IRAN indeed goes NUKULAAR NLT 2012 as antcipated, as per STRATWEAPS = NUCMILTECHS, the USA may wanna consider reactivating the TENTH ARMY [ASIA-WIDE Nuke-WMD MIlitancy Scenarios, not just the Koreas]???
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