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

A U.S. Army brigade with some 3,500 troops will deploy to South Korea as part of a regular rotation of forces, the Department of the Army has announced.

The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team will replace the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team to support the United States Forces-Korea's commitment to our Republic of Korea partners, the department said in a statement.

The 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team was deployed to Korea with 4,500 troops early this year under a decision to replace a permanent brigade, which had been stationed in South Korea since 1965, with a rotational unit.

Rotation takes place every nine months.

"I am exceptionally proud of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat team," Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, deputy commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division, said in the statement.

"The Devil brigade has proven themselves while conducting rigorous training during Danger Focus at home station and at the National Training Center. The leaders and soldiers of this great brigade are well-trained and fully prepared for this important mission to South Korea," he said.

U.S. officials have said the decision to have rotational forces, instead of a permanent unit, would increase 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)