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Of the 12,500 troops the United States plans to withdraw from Korea, core U.S. Air Force units such as the fighter and recon aircraft of the Seventh U.S. Air Force will not be included. A Defense Ministry official said Saturday that the U.S. recently confirmed that U-2 recon aircraft, F-16 fighter-bombers, A-10 ground attack aircraft and other existing airfields and operational planning units would be excluded from those forces the U.S plans to withdraw from Korea.
A high-ranking official with the Seventh U.S. Air Force said recently the in accordance with the global U.S. military reorganization, even if USFK numbers come down, deterrence against the North would not weaken, and with this in mind, core U.S. airpower units would be maintained.
Accordingly, the 51 Fighter Wing and 8th Fighter Wing, stationed at Osan and Kunsan airbases, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron and intelligence units like the Korea Combat Operations & Intelligence Center (KCOIC) would not be touched, and U.S. reductions are to focus primarily on support units. The U.S. Seventh Air Force maintains about 70 F-16s, 20 A-10 "Tank Killers," three U-2Ss, and 9,100 men. The U.S. plans to officially inform the Korean side which units exactly would be withdrawn and its timetable next month during bilateral talks on USFK reorganizations to be held in Seoul.
(Yu Yong-won, kysu@chosun.com )
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