US Stryker team attending drill in S. Korea

By Yi Whan-woo

The U.S. Army’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team is participating in the annual Foal Eagle exercise here, according to the U.S. Pacific Command and Korean officials, Wednesday.

The rapid response unit, also called Task Force Ghost, is among Stryker troops that have fought in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since the early 2000s.

Using medium-weight armored vehicles, the Stryker troops are motorized infantry forces known for increased operational and tactical mobility as well as flexibility.

Their mission requires deployment anywhere in the world within four days.

The insurgents in Iraq referred to the troops as “ghost soldiers” for their quiet yet swift operations.

“We expect they will be deployed swiftly in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula,” a Korean military official said, Wednesday.

The U.S. Pacific Command said on its website that the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s mission includes “breaching obstacles, medical evacuations of simulated wounded soldiers, and convoy operations with soldiers dismounting to shoot at targets.”

The team is participating in the joint exercise between Korea and the U.S., after taking part in the Cobra Gold Exercise, a multinational drill in Thailand. Korea was among the nine countries that took part this year.

Other Stryker brigades have participated in Foal Eagle in previous years.