Friday, April 30, 2004
US to bolster missile defenses in South Korea
Associated Press Seoul, April 30
The United States will deploy new missile defense batteries in South Korea this autumn as part of a US$11 billion upgrade of regional capabilities, the military said on Friday.
The US 8th Army's new 35th Air Defense Brigade, currently located at Fort Bliss, Texas, and equipped with Patriot Advanced Capability 2 and 3 systems, will be deployed to South Korea, the US and South Korean Combined Forces Command in Seoul said in a news release.
The PAC 2 and 3 missile systems are designed to intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and enemy aircraft. There are already several batteries fielded in South Korea.
Two batteries will be added at Gwangju Air Base and the 35th Air Defense Brigade headquarters will be located at Osan Air Base with about 500 soldiers, the release said.
"The deployment of this strictly defensive Air Defense Artillery Patriot missile unit brings additional deterrent capabilities to the peninsula," said Lt Gen. Charles C. Campbell, chief of staff for the Combined Forces Command.
Last September, North Korea denounced the deployment of a PAC-3 defense system in South Korea at the time, accusing the United States of building up arms to invade the communist North.
Pyongyang said it was "part of the escalating military confrontation moves of the US which drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war."
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.