REDSTONE ARSENEL, Ala. (Feb. 10, 2015) -- A leadership team from the U.S. Army Materiel Command, or AMC, recently assessed the organization's role in South Korea, a country where the United States has sustained a 60-plus year alliance touted as one of history's most successful partnerships.
AMC Commander Gen. Dennis L. Via led a team there in early February that included the organization's highest ranking civilian, most senior enlisted leader, and top logistician. The team evaluated the capabilities and requirements of the command to respond to the needs of commanders and forces in the Pacific region.
In his third visit to South Korea as AMC commander, Via said he was impressed with recent modernizations and praised cost-sharing efforts that are providing support for labor, supplies, services and construction.
The United States invests about a $1 billion annually to station U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula, while South Korea contributed about $867 million to the effort in 2014, following a recent agreement spanning to 2018. That share stimulates the economy through salaries to host-nation workers and supply and service contracts.
Via emphasized the worldwide reach of a strong and stable South Korean economy.
"Korea is a global military priority," Via said. "It's a long way from our headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, but what happens on the peninsula, and thus in the Pacific region, has a significant impact, not only on our nation's military, but on our own economy."
The command's presence in South Korea includes more than 200 Soldiers, 2,000 Department of the Army civilians, and nearly 400 contractors in transportation, contracting and logistics support roles.
"Our investment in the combined defense of the Republic of Korea not only helps deter aggression, but sets the conditions for a strong economy there," Via said. "The result is a mutually beneficial bilateral trade relationship, which also helps guarantee the stability and prosperity of the Northeast Asia region as a whole. The amount of trade the U.S. does with South Korea and its neighbors has a significant impact on our own domestic economic well-being."
Trade volume between the United States, South Korea, China and Japan is nearly a trillion dollars.
In his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee last year, Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the Asia-Pacific region was an "economic center of gravity indispensable to the U.S. economy and our ability to maintain global leadership."
While the South Korean economy continues to grow, the U.S. military's commitment there remains strong, even as it undertakes a major restructuring that calls for a combined division, the relocation of troops, and a shift to rotational forces.
As part of that transition, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, part of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division, will relinquish its historic role in South Korea this June to be replaced by rotational forces - or fully equipped units that will deploy to the area intact to serve nine-month tours.
Via thanked the current and former members of the combat team, known as the "Iron Brigade," during his visit, and expressed confidence in the shift to rotating units, calling it a win-win for the Army and the U.S. - Republic of Korea Alliance.
"I think it demonstrates to the alliance the commitment and capability of the United States Army to project forces to the region," Via said. "The Army Materiel Command has a robust presence in the Republic of Korea and the Pacific Command theater - and is well postured to support the rotational concept and the forces that are coming forward."
Via and his team met with Army leadership and made stops at several military locations including the U.S. Army Garrison - Yongsan, and Camps Stanley, Carroll, Walker and Red Cloud. He also visited South Korea's Army Logistics Command headquarters and paid a visit to the U.S. Embassy.
Command leaders also visited U.S. Forces-Japan headquarters and the U.S. Embassy in Japan as part of the trip to the U.S. Pacific Command region.
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