"In Front of Them All" is the motto of the U.S. Army's battalion serving on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). They, along with their fellow 28,500 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, serve in one of the most modern countries in the world, the Republic of Korea (ROK), against a real threat from North Korea. Standing on "Freedom's Frontier" as a member of the U.S.-ROK Alliance, our Service Members deter North Korean aggression and stand ready to "Fight Tonight." Performing this mission in a multinational, combined, and joint environment at the strategic, operational, and tactical echelons provides our U.S. Joint Force an opportunity to gain invaluable experience while serving in one of the great Alliances of our time.
Our dedicated forces in Korea provide the stability that has enabled Northeast Asia to become the fastest growing economic region in the world, producing 25% of the world's gross domestic product, and home to our Nation's largest trading partners. As part of our Nation's rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, the U.S. maintains a robust military presence and continues to commit and invest in Northeast Asia despite our fiscal constraints. As a global military priority -- second only to Afghanistan -- our troops are well resourced, manned, and funded.
North Korea's ability to attack the ROK with little to no warning requires our forces to maintain a high level of readiness. North Korea has the fourth largest military in the world with over 70% of its ground forces deployed near the DMZ. Its long range artillery can strike targets in the Seoul Metropolitan Area where over 23 million South Koreans and almost 50,000 Americans live. In recent years, North Korea has invested heavily in developing asymmetric capabilities such as nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and cyber warfare. North Korea's unpredictability keeps the Alliance ever vigilant and dependent upon its combined strength.
To deter this threat, we have three commands with distinct yet complimentary responsibilities. The United Nation Command (UNC), which is comprised of 18 nations, is responsible for maintaining the Armistice in Korea. The U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command (CFC) is responsible for deterring North Korea and defending the ROK. The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) provides U.S. joint forces to support the UNC and CFC, and its component service commands make up a powerful warfighting force. The Eighth Army is a completely modernized ground combat power that is in full partnership with the ROK Army. Our Army units in Korea have M1A2 System Enhancement Package V2 tanks, M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, AH-64D Longbow Apaches Block IIs with improved sensor suites, UH-60Ls, and CH-47Fs. The 7th Air Force's new command and control system enhances our ability to command and control thousands of coalition sorties in one of the world's most complex battle spaces. The 7th Fleet's most modern combat platforms provide enhanced capabilities in the maritime domain. U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Korea and the III Marine Expeditionary Force conducted 11 combined training missions last year. Special Operations Command, Korea serves as our Theater Special Operations Command and trains regularly with highly skilled ROK SOF units.
Together, these commands defend the ROK and maintain stability in Northeast Asia. To achieve this mission, I have five priorities in which everyone plays a vital role:
• Maintain the Armistice. Be Ready to "Fight Tonight." Deter and Defeat Aggression.
• Sustain and Strengthen the Alliance.
• Transform the Alliance.
• Sustain Force and Family Readiness.
• Enhance the UNC, CFC, and USFK Team.
Maintain the Armistice. Be Ready to "Fight Tonight." Deter and Defeat Aggression
Being ready to "Fight Tonight" means if deterrence fails, the men and women of this Alliance are ready with little warning to defeat aggression. Our readiness is honed by realistic training in three major multinational, combined, and joint exercises: ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN (UFG), KEY RESOLVE (KR), and FOAL EAGLE (FE). During UFG 2013, the world's largest military computer-assisted exercise, over 3,000 U.S. personnel and 100 representatives from Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, augmented USFK's 28,500 member Joint Force. Additionally, over 70,000 ROK military members participated as well as civil and government personnel. These exercises improve our combined decision making and joint-combined interoperability through performance of wartime planning tasks, command and control operations, intelligence, logistics, and crisis management in realistic conditions.
Sustain and Strengthen the Alliance
Core strengthening of the Alliance starts at the tactical level with our Soldiers, our ROK counterparts, and Korean Augmentees to the United States Army (KATUSAs), and this is where it continues to derive its strength. Unique to Korea, host nation military members serve in our combat formations, training on the very ground they could be called on to defend.
Korea also affords our young leaders the opportunity to conduct realistic training with their ROK ally utilizing the most modern resources such as the Army's newest Digital Multi-purpose Range Complex and the Rodriquez Life Fire Complex. These resources facilitate the strengthening of the Alliance while honing the individual and collective skills required to perform full spectrum operations.
In 2013, the Alliance took significant steps in strengthening its combined readiness posture by instituting the Combined Counter-Provocation Plan (CPP) and Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS). The CPP ensures strong and decisive responses to North Korean provocations by improving U.S.-ROK consultation. The TDS established a strategic framework for tailoring deterrence against North Korean nuclear threat scenarios in Armistice and wartime.
Transform the Alliance
The Alliance is transforming to deter and defend against an evolving and developing North Korean threat. During this past year, we added a rotational Attack Reconnaissance Squadron and a Combined Arms Battalion into our force structure. These additional units provide the Alliance trained and combat ready forces to improve our deterrence and our defense of the ROK.
Over the past sixty years, the ROK military has become a highly capable and professional force; and they continue to modernize. They are improving their C4I and counter-missile defense systems, and they are procuring precision guided munitions, ballistic missile defense systems, and ISR platforms. For example, Korea recently announced plans to procure PATRIOT PAC3s, F35 Joint Strike Fighters, and RQ-4 Global Hawks. Once integrated, these assets will enhance our combined and joint warfighting readiness.
Sustain Force and Family Readiness
Readiness applies not only to our combat forces but to our Families as well. To improve both force and family readiness, USFK has begun relocating the majority of our forces to two enduring hubs south of Seoul. This will enable us to provide our Service Members and their Families a modern, state-of-the-art, working and living environment, and an excellent quality of life. This $10.7 billion move consists of over 480 construction projects and over 1,000 facilities for new training, residential, medical, educational, and recreational support.
We have instilled a command climate based on the value of each individual, teamwork, standards, discipline, and balanced lives. This includes encouraging comprehensive fitness and family resiliency. As the 4th safest nation in the world, Korea is a wonderful country for our Service Members to experience with their Families. They attend festivals rich in tradition, world-class theme parks, professional baseball and soccer games; travel on a "bullet train" to scenic vacation spots; and enjoy the exciting city life of Seoul, the world's 12th largest city. These opportunities strengthen our Families and create lifelong memories.
Enhance the UNC, CFC, and USFK Team
In Korea, we are committed to integrating our forces across a multitude of activities to build trust and a strong team within the Alliance. USFK maintains positive relationships with the Korean people and their communities through various outreach and Good Neighbor Programs, such as English-language camps, sporting events, and historic and cultural tours. And our troops are positive representatives in Korea every day. This holistic approach to bridging the cultural gap between U.S. Service Members and our Korean hosts provides everyone a more enriching and rewarding tour of duty.
The Future
"It was worth it." That is what many Korean War veterans say when they visit Korea for the first time since the end of the war. They see the real results of their sacrifices -- a technologically-advanced South Korea that is a world leader, the 12th largest economy in the world, and a true partner for global security and prosperity.
Our Soldiers carry on the great legacy of our Korean War veterans by serving on "Freedom's Frontier," standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Korean ally in defending the ROK against a formidable threat. And they see the purpose and value in their work. Like those before them, their commitment and individual contributions are "worth it," because they continue to bring assurance, deterrence, and regional stability … now and in the future.
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