Did you know that America has roughly 23,000 troops in Korea? Digging a little deeper, did you know that the Republic of Korea (ROK or simply “South Korea”) has over four million (600,000 active, 3.5 million reserve) troops?
Now comes the crazy part – did you know that for the past 7+ decades, overall command of ALL those troops is a US Army general?
Never mind that ROK troops outnumber ours by roughly 180:1, a patriotic South Korean soldier can’t even shoot back unless the Americans give the thumbs-up.
According to the official website of the Combined Forces Command;
“CFC has operational control over more than 600,000 active-duty military personnel of all services, of both countries. In wartime, augmentation could include some 3.5 million ROK reservists…”
Did you catch the words, “Operational control”?
Take a wild guess as to who is the Commanding General is of the United Nations Command, Korea, AND the US Forces Korea, AND the Combined Forces Command? That would be Gen. Paul LeCamera, US Army.
Not once… EVER has a South Korean officer been the Commanding General of the Combined Forces Command.
This simply has to end.
Just me, but I sure as hell would favor a Japan-South Korea-Taiwan (JKT) mutual defense treaty. One that doesn’t include the United States.
Mainly because I seriously doubt the American resolve to have American boys die by the thousands for the Tokyo, Seoul and/or Taipei governments.
Secondly, I’d be willing to bet 10 pushups that the JKT powers already have nukes. That, and I’m not exactly thrilled at the thought of Chinese missiles wiping out the West Coast, if not deeper into the heartland.
If China wants to get all nukie with the JKT powers… not a problem.
If Nagoya, Sejong or Taichung end-up with a forecast of scattered mushroom clouds, I’d fully expect to see Shanghai, Nanjing and/or Beijing literally wiped off the map by weapons all bearing the marks of Made in Japan/Korea/Taiwan.
Anyhow, the ROK in 2023 is far from the smoldering hellhole that South Korea was in 1953.
Just a few stats regarding our East Asian ally;
- Their army is one of the largest and best-equipped armies in the Indo-Pac theater.
- The Korean Air Force is one of the most technologically advanced in all of Asia, if not the world.
- The ROK Navy has shifted from brown water to a blue water navy, to the point of Seoul already working on launching their own domestically constructed aircraft carriers.
- As far as the ROK Marines are concerned, let’s just say I’m glad they’re on our side. Those guys are animals.
But back to the topic at hand.
After years and years of good ol’ American mindset of central government confusion gumming things up, you just know that the following will be the standard.
As noted by the everything military website GlobalSecurity.org, here’s the status of the senior US Marine in Korea (COMUSMARFORK; Commander, US Marine Forces, Korea) and his counterpart in the ROK Marine Corps;
COMUSMARFORK functions as the Deputy Commander, Combined Marine Forces Command
(DEPCOMCMFC)(Armistice), Commander, Combined Marine Forces Command (COMCMFC) (wartime designate) and Commander, United Nations Command Marine Forces Component (COMUNCMARFORCOMP) to CINCUNC/CFC; as the U.S. Marine Corps Liaison Element to COMCMFC (armistice); and as the U.S. Marine Corps liaison to the Commandant, Republic of Korea Marine Corps. During armistice, COMUSMARFORK conveys COMMARFORPAC’s (the designated wartime COMUSMARFORK) intent and advice on the use of U.S. Marine Corps forces during wartime.
Did anyone understand any of that bureaucratic gobbelty-gook? I gave up at NINCOMPOOP.
Rest assured, the same mind-numbing government-speak is readily available online regarding the other branches of the armed forces.
Perhaps the best illustration of just how unreliable and weak American political and military will actually is just might be a quote from Lt Col Joshua McCullion, the new commander of the first US Space Force base located outside of the United States, as reported by the BBC;
Its opening was marked in a ceremony at Osan Air Base, 40 miles (65 kilometres) south of Seoul, where the unit will be based.
During that ceremony, chief of the new space unit, Lt Col Joshua McCullion, hinted that North Korea is a focus for the command, saying that “an existential threat” exists just 48 miles north of the base.
He added that it is “a threat that we must be prepared to deter, defend against, and – if required – defeat.”
Wait a second… if American troops are attacked, then in turn defend themselves, since when are we not automatically required to kick the living shit out of the aggressor?
Isn’t defeating the enemy kind of a given?
To the idiot light bird colonel, I just have to ask;
“Why aren’t you stomping Pvt. Pyle’s guts out?”
I just can’t help but wonder if this is what their organizational flow chart looks like;
