WASHINGTON — The next commander of US forces in South Korea is concerned the readiness of reinforcements slated to fall in on rotations in the country could be slipping as North Korea grows more provocative.
"I have concerns that there is a shallowing of the depth of the forces that are behind to reinforce, whether they are in a lower state of readiness that would require more time or if they are not able to respond at all due to other crises in the world," Gen. Vincent Brooks, who is the current commander of US Army Pacific, said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
Sequestration and the prospect that the funding cuts will continue in future fiscal years is much to blame for the falling readiness levels, Brooks explained.
US Forces in Korea are kept in the highest state of readiness to augment the South Korean military, given the country's bellicose neighbor to the north. Brooks explained the forces in Korea have to be ready to "fight tonight."
The concept, Brooks said, means "we have less and less warning about what can occur." For example, he said North Korea has "somewhere in the order" of 116,000 artillery pieces and most of those are within 60 kilometers of the demilitarized zone along the border to South Korea. "So it's a matter of an order to fire in many cases," he added.
"The amount of warning time is extremely short, we have to be ready to respond to things tonight, which means we can't have a long cycle of readiness and preparation. Time gives us the advantage of being sharper, not being fundamental or foundational," Brooks said.
And North Korea is only growing more aggressive with its military capability. "It is my opinion that North Korea is moving in the wrong direction and changes that we have seen are all provocative and more dangerous," Brooks said. "Their willingness to draw blood, to sink vessels, to fire some of their numerous artillery systems in populated areas, to put land mines outside of [South Korean] camps, all of those things are indications of an escalating approach to crisis. We have seen more crises in the last five years than we’ve seen during the majority of the time during the armistice."
Even more a cause for concern are North Korean efforts to develop its long-range nuclear missile capability. On the topic of long-range nuclear missile capability, Brooks said North Korea at the present time the country is struggling to get the program up and operational but that it’s clear the country will acquire capabilities over time even as various nodes of the system continue to fail in tests. He likened the situation to watching someone learning to ride a bike fall over and over, only to eventually become a BMX champion.
Moreover, there are reports that North Korea and Iran have a growing relationship, which could mean Iranian support contribute to more help developing the technology needed to bring a nuclear weapon capability to fruition. Brooks acknowledged he’d heard the reports and said he was "concerned."
Brooks also advocated for the continuation of rotational forces in Korea, something the National Commission on the Future of the Army recommended in its report released in February.
The commission said keeping a rotational presence, particularly an armored brigade combat team, in Korea instead of a forward-stationed one made sense because the commanders in Korea would get a fully manned, fully equipped BCT at the peak of readiness. The commission also recommended keeping a combat aviation brigade in Korea, bringing the total number of CABs in the Army to 11. That wouldn't come cheap and would likely cost the service around $1.9 billion.
"There is an ongoing effort by the services to provide a rotational set of forces, and this brings units that are already in a higher state of readiness to the Korean peninsula," Brooks said. "First, I would want to reinforce that if confirmed. I think that is a good solution in providing a better foundation of readiness."
Brooks also advocated for establishing a more robust, layered missile defense in South Korea, including deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to protect the country and the US forces there from North Korea.
The ability to shoot down missiles in the terminal phase of flight "takes care of particular threats that are emerging in [North Korea's] missile development," Brooks said.
Discussions with South Korea are ongoing in terms of the feasibility of bringing THAAD into the country and where the system might be placed if the decision is made to deploy it. China has expressed concern over the deployment of the system and Brooks said the US will make its case that THAAD would be strictly to provide protection from possible North Korean attacks.
The general also said, like his predecessor, more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets are needed in the region.
Email: jjudson@defensenews.com
Twitter: @JenJudson
Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.
