A Department of Defense news release this morning:
Today, the Defense Department announced the rotational deployment of the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st U.S. Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas to Camps Hovey and Stanley, Republic of Korea, on Feb. 1.
This combined arms battalion, comprised of approximately 800 soldiers and its own wheeled and tracked vehicles, will deploy to conduct operations in support of U.S. Forces Korea and Eighth Army. This action supports the United States' defense commitment to the Republic of Korea as specified by the mutual defense treaty and presidential agreements.
The battalion will provide a trained and combat-ready force that will deploy with their equipment to South Korea. The equipment will remain in country for use by follow-on rotations. The soldiers of the battalion will return to Fort Hood upon completion of their 9-month rotation.
Is this really just part of the pivot to the Pacific? The Army hasn't been really considered much in this whole Air-Sea Battle talk.
This is small, but it is a reversal of the steady reduction in troop strength in South Korea since the Korean War ended. Until a decade ago, we still had two brigades. Now we have one.
Now we have another battalion. The unit will leave its equipment and the troops will come home after 9 months, with new troops falling in on the equipment for another 9-month rotation to keep the unit active.
This does make it easier to gather a division-sized Army ground force in South Korea more quickly, by using in-place forces and equipment, pre-positioned equipment (on land and afloat) with troops flown in, and completely new units flown in.
A Marine regiment from the western Pacific could augment such an Army force.
More would have to follow by sea, in a major crisis, of course.
