BUSAN -- The United States Army Materiel Support Command -- Korea's Korean Service Corps Battalion, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, conducted its annual Mobilization Exercise and Wartime Host Nation Support Field Training Exercise for three days at Jugam Middle School, Busan, Jan 17-19.
The MOBEX operation involves the mobilization of nearly 4,000 Republic of Korea military reservists in Busan for the purpose of provisioning the ROK manpower to the U.S. Forces in Korea during contingency. The number of personnel to be mobilized in times of contingency culminates to 22,000 across the Peninsula.
The WHNS program in Busan utilizes 48 resources, provided by the ROK during contingency operations, to support the USFK, in accordance with the ROK/US mobilization plan.
While these two exercises may appear separate, they are conducted simultaneously every year because they support one another and both are valuable opportunities to enhance the ROK/US alliance and coordination between allies.
The MOBEX involved six stations each of which had 6th KSC Company cadres to assist in the process. Members of the 6th KSC Co. role-played as mobilees. At the first station, on the playground, the cadres verified mobilees' identity and completed a basic physical examination. Next, in a classroom, they were issued M50 chemical protection masks and received hands-on training. Mobilees then input their personal information at the third station before moving on to receive Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment at the fourth station. Finally, after mobilees conducted Army warrior training, the cadres produced Geneva Conventions Cards and two identification tags for each qualified mobilee at the last station.
Staff Sgt. Robert Q. Jones, Signal Communication Specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 498th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion said, "The 498th CSSB provided the 6th KSC Company with Signal support using a Combined Operation Very Small Aperture Terminal Network -- Korea, which is vital to the MOBEX because it enables cadre to verify and input mobilees' information on a secured server."
During the WHNS FTX, the ROK Army's 5th BN, 125th Regiment, 53rd Infantry Division delivered 10 resources to include vehicles, an ambulance, trucks and fuel tanks to the site, Jan. 18. Then, with the 6th KSC Company members, they conducted verification and registration of the resources, followed by functional checks. After they issued a registration plate on the bumper, the resources were ready to be transported to the USFK to support its missions during contingency, according to Mr. Kyu Hyong Cho, Operations Specialist, 6th KSC Company, MSC-K, 19th ESC.
"These exercises are critical because they offer a great opportunity to see how swift 6th KSC Company can carry out the mobilization process and how many mobilees and resources will be able to be deployed to support different USFK in times of contingency," said Mr. Cho. "Moreover, they are also a chance for the ROK/US to examine the effectiveness of their mobilization plan."
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