The U.S. air force will deploy 12 F-16CM fighter jets to South Korea next week to help defend its Asian ally, officials said Thursday.
About 240 airmen from the 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and their fighters will be stationed from Sunday at a U.S. air base in Gunsan, 274 kilometers south of Seoul, for about three months to maintain stability in the region, according to the U.S. 7th Air Force.
Last November, 12 F-16CS from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah along with 200 airmen were deployed to Gunsan as the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
"These deployments reaffirm our commitment to providing the right combat air power and capabilities in defense of the Republic of Korea," said Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, commander of the 7th Air Force, in a statement.
Some 28,500 U.S. troops are based in the South, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. (Yonhap)