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The Ministry of Defense has officially asked the U.S. side to preposition the equipment of a heavy brigade -- including tanks and armored vehicles -- on the Korean Peninsula and make it so that U.S. re-enforcements are deployed to the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible in the event of an emergency.
A high-ranking government source said Wednesday, "At the 12th round of the Future of the Alliance talks/Security Consultative Meeting held in Washington from Tuesday, our side requested that the equipment of a heavy brigade be prepositioned in Korea... I understand, however, that the U.S. expressed reluctance, citing the high costs and other factors." The prepositioning of the equipment, which would include hundreds of M-1 tanks and M-2 armored vehicles, M-109 self-propelled artillery and other vehicles and ammunition, would allow re-enforced brigade to be rapidly deployed to Korea aboard transport planes or high-speed transport ships and quickly begin combat with the equipment. Currently, the equipment of a heavy brigade is prepositioned in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province.
On the other hand, the U.S. has virtually agreed to push back the withdrawal of a battalion of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), originally scheduled for the end of next year, to after 2006. Based on an agreement in this round of talks, both sides plan to reach a final agreement on the size and timing of USFK reductions in the SCM talks to be held in Washington on Oct. 22.
(Yu Yong-won, bemil@chosun.com )
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