WASHINGTON — Three-year accompanied tours for troops in South Korea won’t be a reality for at least a decade, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea told a Senate panel Tuesday.
But Gen. B.B. Bell said he is still committed to the idea, calling it an important step in defining the United States’ enduring role in the country and in easing the strain that unaccompanied deployments can cause troops.
“I’m convinced the one-year tours send a message of temporary commitment,” he said. “I think three years is better for families … and would send a message that South Korea is important to our long-term plans.”
The move also would dump all assignment incentive pay for troops in South Korea, and require millions in new construction funds.
Any such change in tour lengths would have to be approved by both U.S. and Korean lawmakers. Even after that, Bell said, building housing and support services for a large influx of U.S. military families in South Korea could take 10 to 15 years.
“You can’t just bring 15,000 families over here tomorrow,” he said.
Currently more than 27,000 U.S. troops are in South Korea, but fewer than 3,000 are on accompanied tours. Bell said making bases there more like those in Japan or Germany would create a better quality of life for both servicemembers and the surrounding communities.
He said he has discussed the idea with Korean officials, and is optimistic they would accept such a move. A recent State Department survey found that 68 percent of locals surveyed would prefer to have a U.S. presence in South Korea even if relations with North Korea were normalized.
South Korean military leaders are on track to take over wartime military command of their forces by 2012, Bell told the senators. This August they’ll test those plans, with South Korean forces taking the lead in military exercises and U.S. commanders assuming support roles only.
The lawmakers said they’re pleased that U.S. forces are held in high regard there, but concerned that the command transfer won’t take place sooner.
“It’s been 58 years, and you’re telling me it’s going to take another four for them to step up and take more responsibility?” said Sen. John Warner, R-Va., ranking member on the committee.
“This should be a sense of pride for them. I can’t understand why they don’t step up and accept that sooner.”
Bell said initially he hoped that transfer would take place in as early as next year, but senior officials from both countries have compromised on the 2012 target.
