S.Korean Military Takes Over Pilot Rescue Mission From USFK
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Air Force will take over search-and-rescue missions from the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) next week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday.
The search-and-rescue of pilots who eject from the aircraft or isolated in enemy territory is the last of the 10 major security missions to be transferred from the USFK under a 2003 deal.
JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Tae-young and USFK Commander Gen. Walter L. Sharp, who concurrently serves as chief of the Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command, signed an agreement on the transfer later in the day.
In June, the South Korean Air Force's 6th Search-and-Rescue Group and the 33rd Rescue Squadron of the U.S. Air Force conducted their last training exercise in waters off the country's western coast before the mission transfer.
During the exercise, Korean airmen played a leading role in rescuing an imaginary American pilot forced to eject from his aircraft, with support from the U.S. rescue squadron.
``Through the transfer of the 10 military tasks, Korean forces have successfully improved their operational capabilities for a variety of combat missions. South Korea and the United States will continue to strengthen their military alliance through task-specific joint exercises,'' a JCS official said.
The transfer of the USFK's key security tasks was agreed upon as part of efforts to help South Korea assume more responsibility for its national defense, particularly the defense of its border.
The agreement was also in line with the reduction of U.S. troops under a 2004 deal, which called for cutting the number of U.S. forces from 37,000 to 25,000 in phases by 2008. President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed in April to pause the troop reduction and maintain about 28,000 troops on the peninsula.
South Korea's area of responsibility now includes patrolling the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone, counter-fire command-and-control missions against North Korea's long-range artillery, Navy special forces operations, and close air support and control missions.
Under a landmark deal on command rearrangements, the South Korean military is to take the lead in combat operations on the Korean Peninsula with the U.S. military shifting to a naval- and air-centric supporting role beginning April 2012.