SUWON AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- On the 64th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, Soldiers from the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery and airmen from ROK Air Force's 177th ADA Battalion made history by successfully combining their Patriot weapon systems during a Combined Interoperability Exercise at Gunja Air Base, June 25.
Both the U.S. Army and ROK Air Force employ the same basic Patriot missile weapon system, a state of the art surface to air missile system capable of defeating hostile aircraft and incoming ballistic missiles, but slight differences in equipment have prevented an integration of their forces in the past.
Combining ROK and U.S. air defense units allows service members from both nations to share critical air battle information in real time, increasing their combat effectiveness, preventing fratricide and conserving costly Patriot missiles, according to Col. Thomas Nguyen, commander of the 35th ADA Brigade.
"This is truly a historical moment," said Nguyen. "If hostilities ever did break out, we'd have to defeat the enemy as a team. We demonstrated that we can do just that today."
In addition to verifying the compatibility of their equipment, Patriot launcher crews composed of a mix of U.S. and ROK service members performed march order and emplacement as well as missile reload drills to test the combat effectiveness of fully integrated air defense units.
"This is the first step in establishing an integrated air and missile defense umbrella on the Korean Peninsula," said Lt. Col. Ethan L. Hall, commander of 6-52 ADA. "Also, working hand in hand with 177th ADA allowed both sides to establish a rapport to build on for the future."
The success of the CIX represented another example of close cooperation between American and ROK forces, a strong friendship that has developed since the onset of the Korean War.
"Sixty-four years ago the U.S. -- ROK alliance began," said Hall. "The work these Soldiers and Airmen have done today demonstrates that the alliance is stronger than ever."
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