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The loss to the U.S. Air Force of a controversial bombing range at Maehyang-ri was tantamount to a loss of combat readiness, a senior commander with the U.S. Forces Korea said Friday. Lt. Gen. Garry Trexler, the commander of the Seventh Air Force said the USFK has been waiting for a long time for Seoul to come forward and resolve the issue.
Trexler, who is also USFK deputy commander, told the Chosun Ilbo that A-10 aircraft were once sent to Thailand for training early this year and fighters regularly head off to Okinawa during the weekendend and return early next week to keep their skills up to date in the absence of a range here.
Trexler said there were currently no plans for a withdrawal of the Air Force, but warned that if pilots are unable to maintain their skills, an alternative location will have to be found, and this would require a method that gets the best results in the least amount of time. He stressed that the U.S. is asking for the ¡°very minimum¡± from Korea.
Asked what the U.S. Air Force's role will be once Korea takes over sole wartime operational control of its troops, Trexler quoted the formal position of Combined Forces Command that Korea has some of the best equipment and training in the world, but there are certain areas where support is needed, including intelligence and air power, which the U.S. would assist in. He said because of the topography of the peninsula, the most important to form an efficient defense are naval and air support, and vowed the U.S. is ready to perform that role.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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