By Kang Seung-woo
The armored brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) that the United States wants to keep north of Seoul provides fire support for air component command (ACC) operations and ground component command (GCC) counter-fire.
The brigade, based at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, has high-tech weaponry that includes the M270A1 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) for its counter-fire mission.
It has under its wing the 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, the 70th Brigade Support Battalion, the 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment and the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment.
“Most divisions do not have MLRS, so it is a very capable unit," 2ID Commander Maj. Gen. Thomas Vandal said last year, calling it "a unique capability" that is not found in other divisions.
The U.S. push to leave the "Warrior Thunder" brigade is aimed at counterattacking North Korea's newly-developed multiple rocket launchers.
Since the beginning of this year, the Kim Jong-un regime has tested rockets and missiles on 19 occasions, including scud missiles and 300-millimeter rockets.
Especially, the large-caliber rocket, better known as the KN-09 with a maximum range of about 160 kilometers, is seen as a serious threat to South Korean and U.S. troops, including U.S. bases in Pyeongtaek and Osan, located some 160 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone.
With the oncoming relocation of the U.S. Forces Korea’s (USFK) headquarters and 2ID to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province under the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP) and Land Partnership Plan (LPP), signed in 2002, there have been growing concerns that moving the U.S. units further southward could compromise deterrence against North Korea.
As a result, the USFK commander, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, said last November that the U.S. was considering leaving some American soldiers north of Seoul for proper defense and response.
"The number of the brigade's MLRS is equal to that of the entire Korean Army's MLRS," said Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network.
"Should it remain there, we will certainly defend Yeoncheon and adjacent areas from the North's threats of rockets."
A diplomatic source said Thursday that the U.S. has repeatedly and strongly expressed its intention to retain the armored brigade north of Seoul.
The U.S. drive is counter to the bilateral agreement, but Korea is expected to agree in return for a delay of wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer.
"As far as I know, such an intention was expressed several times during the high-level and main sessions of the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) talks, which were held earlier this week in Seoul," a source said.
The defense ministry said that the YRP and the LPP is still effective in principle, but dropped a hint that it may change in the future.
"We need to seek ways to maximize the Korea-U.S. joint capabilities," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing.
Should the brigade remain in the area, there would be a backlash from the local government and residents, but the Korean government is not expected to brush aside the U.S. plan with its hopes for a delay in the OPCON handover on the line.
Washington is scheduled to transfer its wartime control of Korean troops to Seoul in December 2015, but the latter is seeking a delay of up to eight years due to growing threats from Pyongyang.
"The government is sandwiched between the U.S. plan and a domestic backlash," a diplomatic source said.