Possibility of USFK Assets Being Dispatched to the Middle East

Ministry of National Defense: "We Will Maintain Close Communication"

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek has instructed that, in the event of a government request to support the evacuation of Korean nationals amid the Middle East crisis, military assets should be immediately deployed to carry out their core mission.

Yonhap News

At a regular briefing on March 3, Jeong Bitna, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, responded to a question about whether the deployment of military transport aircraft was under consideration by saying, "We are thoroughly preparing, but as of now, I understand that no support request has been made."

When asked whether there was a possibility that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops might be sent to the Middle East, Spokesperson Jeong replied, "The mission of U.S. Forces Korea is to maintain a firm combined defense posture with our military, contributing to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. To this end, we maintain close communication, and, as a matter of principle, close consultations are ongoing." She refrained from providing a specific answer.

Last June, the United States temporarily redeployed part of the Patriot missile batteries, which are air defense assets stationed with USFK, to the Middle East prior to the airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and then returned them to Korea in October of the same year. If the current Middle East crisis, which began with the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, becomes prolonged, there are concerns that some USFK assets may once again be dispatched to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Jang Doyoung, Chief Public Affairs Officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answered a question regarding the possibility of changes to the operational area or scope of the Navy's Cheonghae Unit deployed in the waters off Somalia's Gulf of Aden by stating, "Currently, there are no issues concerning the safety of overseas deployment units and personnel. The situation is being managed stably, and missions are being conducted as normal." He added, "The Cheonghae Unit maintains full readiness in case it receives new mission orders due to changing circumstances, but it would not be appropriate to comment on such possibilities in advance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.