U.S. affirms it has 'right mix' of war deterrents against N. Korea

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By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- The United States affirmed its commitment Wednesday to
maintaining the "right mix" of war deterrents against North Korea, following a
notice it will replace half of its air-to-ground attack helicopters in South
Korea with a dozen F-16s.

The U.S. announced this week it plans to deploy F-16 multi-role jet fighters
before March to replace a fleet of 24 AH-64 Apaches scheduled to be redeployed to
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Washington and Seoul said last year that the Apaches would be replaced with A-10
jets -- nicknamed "tank killers" for their superb air-to-surface attack
capabilities -- but the U.S. said recently it has discovered cracks in some of
those aircraft.
"This has led the Air Force to conduct a comprehensive assessment of A-10
aircraft availability for (South Korean deployment) and other global
deployments," Capt. Elizabeth Aptekar, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson, said in an
e-mail. She added the state of the A-10 jets "only became apparent after public
announcement of the Apache battalion's re-stationing."
The last-minute switch triggered concerns in South Korea that the U.S. may be
moving towards reducing its military presence here as it pushes ahead with its
global repositioning program.
Washington is preparing to return wartime operational control of South Korean
troops to Seoul by 2012. The authority was given to the U.S. during the 1950-53
Korean War and its transfer has been a subject of severe criticism among South
Koreans who fear weakened joint combat readiness against North Korea.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the war,
which ended in a ceasefire instead of a formal peace treaty. The leaders of the
two longtime allies agreed last year that Washington will remain committed to
maintaining its war deterrence capability here against Pyongyang.
"The U.S. remains committed to the defense of the Republic of Korea," Aptekar
said, using South Korea's official name, "and will ensure the right mix of
capabilities is deployed on and around the Korean Peninsula."
Asked whether A-10s would be deployed to South Korea in the future to replace the
F-16s in rotation, she said, "As of right now, there has not been any decision
made to deploy A-10s at a later date, but we do not discount the possibility."
South Korea's defense ministry said this week that the two countries will review
their joint defense capabilities before deciding whether A-10s can be deployed in
September.
The F-16 replacements will arrive in South Korea before the Apaches return to the
U.S. in March for later redeployment. Lt. Col. Rene White of the U.S. 7th Air
Force said Tuesday in an interview that about 400 crew and family members will
arrive together and that every A-10 managed by her unit in South Korea has been
inspected and is ready for combat.
Twenty-seven A-10s and two dozen F-16s are operating under U.S. command in South
Korea, according to defense officials.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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