Last month, a battalion under the 1st Armored Division in Texas was mobilised to a US military base near Daegu, 233 kilometers southeast of Seoul…reports Asian Lite News
A US armored unit is conducting a routine exercise to quickly deploy soldiers from the US mainland to South Korea as part of efforts to maintain rapid response capabilities, the US Army stationed in the South said Monday.
Last month, a battalion under the 1st Armored Division in Texas was mobilised to a US military base near Daegu, 233 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take part in the Pacific Fortitude exercise, according to the 8th Army, Yonhap news agency reported.
The troops were notified of the drills on July 17, and just six days later, they began drawing out combat equipment at Camp Carroll, alongside the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, it said. The exercise also tests the use of equipment already in South Korea.
Photos released by the 8th Army showed troops transporting M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles at the base to a training area.
“Having this critical equipment already in place allows us to project this power at the right time and at the right speed,” Brigadier General Jin Pak, commander of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said in a release.
“This deployment readiness exercise proves to our allies that the United States is committed to the defence of the ROK-US alliance,” he said, using the acronym for the South’s official name — Republic of Korea.
Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony to commemorate the transfer of a new-type tactical ballistic missile weapon system, which serves as the “pivot military hardware” in the armed forces, state media reported on Monday.
Kim attended the ceremony, which took place on Sunday, showcasing 250 new-type tactical ballistic missile launchers to front-line military units, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim also delivered a speech, stating that an important task specified in the practical guidelines for bolstering military strength, decided at the 8th WPK Congress, has been successfully carried out, reports Yonhap news agency, quoting KCNA.
The report did not provide further details on the new system or where the inspection took place.
Photos released by the KCNA suggest that the transferred weapon system is the ‘Hwasong-11’ launcher, which is expected to be deployed in the military demarcation line area with South Korea.
Kim recently said the US-led alliance has changed into a military bloc based on nuclear power, using it as a rationale for strengthening the country’s military capabilities.
In Sunday’s speech, the North Korean leader again blamed the US for creating various types of threats that forced his country to enhance its military capabilities.
Kim also mentioned that the US will remain a hostile nation for generations, hinting at the regime’s commitment to bolstering its military capabilities, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election in November.