December 15, 2022
SEOUL – The US Area Forces Korea, primarily tasked with working space-based belongings and detecting and monitoring missile launches, was formally launched on Wednesday amid escalating missile threats from North Korea.
The US Area Drive activated its abroad part discipline command in South Korea, a subordinate unit to the newly established US Area Forces Indo-Pacific in addition to a sub-unified command of the US Forces Korea (USFK).
The US Area Forces Korea (SPACEFOR-KOR) mentioned it will likely be “tasked with coordinating area operations and companies equivalent to missile warning, place navigation and timing, and satellite tv for pc communications inside the area” in its introduction brochure. It can “present area planning and employment experience, in addition to area command and management to the commander of US Forces Korea.”
“One of many many mission areas the brand new part will give attention to is missile warning operations, which gives in-theater near-real-time detection and warning of ballistic missile launches,” the USFK mentioned in an announcement launched on the event of its activation ceremony.
Held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, the ceremony was attended by the USFK Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, Commander of the US Area Forces Indo-Pacific Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir and the newly-appointed commander of the SPACEFOR-KOR, Lt. Col. Joshua McCullion.
“Right now marks the following milestone in our ironclad dedication to strengthening the alliance,” Lt. Col. McCullion mentioned at Osan Air Base, the place the SPACEFOR-KOR can be headquartered. “Simply 48 miles north of us exists an existential risk that we should be ready to discourage, defend towards, and – if required – defeat. US Area Forces Korea as the latest part should be ready with our guardians to uphold the combat tonight readiness.”
Gen. LaCamera mentioned the activation of the SPACEFOR-KOR enhances the US’ capability to “defend the homelands and ensures peace and safety on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.”
“Due to US Area Forces Korea, the alliance is best capable of execute multi-domain operations within the Korean Theater of Operation.”
The SPACEFOR-KOR has develop into the sixth part out there to the USFK. The activation is a vital step in “normalizing the presentation of area forces” on the Korean Peninsula, the SPACEFOR-KOR mentioned in its assertion.
The SPACEFOR-KOR will conduct a “mission evaluation” to resolve on what capabilities it might supply and what number of personnel are wanted to totally combine throughout the command, Brig. Gen. Mastalir advised reporters after the ceremony.
US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera presides over the ceremony activating the US Area Forces Korea held on Wednesday at Osan Air Base within the metropolis of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, 65 kilometers south of Seoul. (Joint Press Corp-Yonhap)
The activation of the SPACEFOR-KOR is a “logical step in reorganizing US army forces after the institution of the Area Drive” in 2019, given {that a} area detachment from the US Air Drive has lengthy been assigned to the US Forces Korea, mentioned David Maxwell, a senior fellow on the Basis for Protection of Democracies and a retired US Army Special Forces colonel.
Area belongings and capabilities are an integral a part of the protection plan for Korea as they’re for all army instructions and protection plans world wide, Maxwell mentioned. They supply vital capabilities throughout the spectrum of army disciplines equivalent to communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, missile protection and focusing on, he added.
“The capabilities that can be employed tomorrow are the identical ones that have been employed yesterday so there isn’t a radical or fast change,” Maxwell mentioned. “Nonetheless, the institution of the Area Drive and its Area Instructions/Elements will enhance each the effectivity and effectiveness of area help to the warfighting instructions over time.”
Echoing this view, Bruce Bennett, a protection researcher on the RAND Company and a professor on the Pardee RAND Graduate College, defined that the “fundamental perform of US Area Forces Korea can be to deal with space-based belongings — primarily satellites.”
“The satellites acquire intelligence, warn of North Korean missile launches, present communications, monitor ROK/US operations, probably take part in info operations towards North Korea, and sooner or later offering superior missile protection. … Once more, most of those capabilities will not be new,” Bennett advised The Korea Herald, utilizing the acronym of South Korea’s official identify, the Republic of Korea.
“Satellites can detect ballistic missile launches and ship that info on to the missile protection radars in order that they’ll detect North Korean missiles, coordinate with different radars, and acquire an optimum firing answer for his or her interceptors. It will cut back the variety of North Korean missiles capable of penetrate the missile protection.”
Yang Uk, an affiliate analysis fellow on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research assume tank, mentioned the SPACEFOR-KOR can be “accountable for controlling and working space-based belongings and subsequently it might play a really vital function monitoring and detecting actions associated to North Korea’s missile launches and its nuclear buildup.”
“Strengthening US surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities by launching the part discipline command can be a step additional to allow the US Area Drive to function and performance aligning with the ‘4D technique,’” Yang mentioned.
South Korea and the US have established and developed the so-called “4D Operational Idea” or the “Alliance Complete Counter-Missile Operations,” which is a tenet to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend in case of North Korea’s missile assaults.
In a nutshell, Ankit Panda, a senior fellow within the nuclear program on the Carnegie Endowment for Worldwide Peace mentioned, “missile warning and monitoring can be an necessary half” of the SPACEFOR-KOR, which will even “assist deepen the scope of alliance actions.”
After the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Mastalir mentioned the dialog between the SPACEFOR-KOR and its South Korean counterpart on enhancing partnership in missile warning and missile protection “ought to happen within the coming months.”
South Korea’s Air Drive in early December launched Area Operations Squadron to strengthen its “capabilities to conduct area operations in follow.” The Air Drive mentioned the squadron will cooperate with the US Area Forces Korea to boost South Korea’s capabilities to hold out mixed area operations with its ally.
The SPACEFOR-KOR was additionally launched round three weeks after the US Area Forces Indo-Pacific – the US Area Drive’s first abroad combatant command — was activated on Nov. 22.
“The US Indo-Pacific Command has been making an attempt to step up the Area Drive’s actions in Asia extra typically to help the Biden administration’s efforts to advance built-in deterrence. This can be a broader a part of that effort,” Panda mentioned.
