Significant Expansion of THAAD Defense Range... First 'Remote Launcher' Deployment Drill Conducted

USFK, FS-Linked Training
"Opportunity to Adjust Defense Scope Provided"

Since the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, Gyeongbuk in 2017, a launcher deployment exercise was conducted outside the base for the first time.

On the 24th, the South Korean and U.S. military authorities announced that the U.S. Forces Korea conducted the THAAD remote launcher deployment exercise for the first time in conjunction with the joint U.S.-South Korea exercise Freedom Shield (FS).

The THAAD remote launcher deployment exercise involves placing the THAAD launchers separately from the radar and command and control equipment and operating them remotely. The U.S. Forces Korea decided to deploy THAAD in South Korea in July 2016 and brought it into the country in April 2017.

China has strongly opposed the deployment of THAAD by the U.S. Forces Korea, citing threats to its national security, and residents near the Seongju base in Gyeongbuk, where THAAD is deployed, have complained of noise and electromagnetic wave damage, demanding the withdrawal of THAAD. As a result, the system has been operated in a 'temporary' operational deployment status for over five years, with the launchers connected to the fire control center only by wired connections.

A U.S. Forces Korea soldier is patrolling around the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
[Photo by U.S. Eighth Army]

Since the remote launcher equipment was brought in last October, it has become possible to take the THAAD launchers outside the base for training.

The exact time and location of the exercise have not been disclosed. However, photos released on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service show the exercise date as March 19. According to civic groups, the launchers from the Seongju THAAD base were taken out on the 15th and returned on the 23rd. The operation of remote launchers is expected to expand THAAD’s defense coverage.

On the same day, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense stated in a joint press release with the U.S. Forces Korea, "The U.S. Forces Korea maintains a 'Fight Tonight' level of readiness and combined defense posture to protect and defend the Republic of Korea from any threats or adversaries."

A Ministry of National Defense official explained, "This exercise enhanced the combat readiness of the THAAD unit and the combined defense posture of South Korea and the U.S. in preparation for the advanced missile threats from North Korea. It also demonstrated the U.S.’s ironclad commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and further solidified security and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

In particular, the official added, "The normalization of the operation and management of the THAAD system contributed to improving the readiness of the U.S. Forces Korea by ensuring continuous operational support for the THAAD unit. The remote launcher exercise provided a broad opportunity to adjust the defense coverage of the THAAD system."

Since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May last year, the government has been working on the 'normalization' of the THAAD base and is currently conducting an environmental impact assessment for this purpose. Once this assessment is completed, construction of barracks and infrastructure within the base is expected to accelerate.

In the joint press release, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense and the U.S. Forces Korea emphasized, "The Ministry of National Defense and the U.S. Forces Korea closely cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate to protect the combined forces and the people of the Republic of Korea through the operation of the THAAD base."