Gen. Walter Sharp, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, talks with sailors at Chinhae Naval Base about the long-term effects of South Korea taking wartime control in 2012. (Teri Weaver / S&S)
CHINHAE NAVAL BASE, South Korea — As South Korea takes control of wartime command in the near future, the U.S. military will look at providing a stronger Air Force and Navy presence on and near the peninsula in the long term, the U.S. Forces Korea commander told sailors here Thursday.
"I think that is a possibility," Gen. Walter Sharp said during his first trip to Chinhae Naval Base since taking command of USFK last summer. "The Korean ground forces are capable."
South Korea, with its conscription service of nearly 700,000 members, according to the U.S. State Department’s Web site, is to take the lead in 2012 in case of war. Under current agreements, the United States would command all military forces in South Korea should war break out.
Now, both countries are looking at how to invest money, troops and equipment to deter and defend a possible attack from North Korea. Traditionally, the U.S. presence in South Korea has relied on ground forces. Of the 28,500 U.S. troops on the peninsula, about 70 percent are soldiers.
Moving forward, a key element is to find the right mix of assets that can respond within the first few days of any attack, Sharp said.
For the sailors at Chinhae, the only U.S. naval base in the country, the transfer of wartime control will likely change very little about their day-to-day duties, Sharp said.
Sharp also talked to the sailors about the curfew, which he said he is still reviewing. After taking command last summer, Sharp changed the policy so that servicemembers can stay out until 3 a.m. on weekends and holidays.
Most in the audience at Chinhae raised hands when asked if they thought the current rules were fair. But when asked if the sailors wanted to return to the previous 1 a.m. curfew, most laughed and said no.
"I’m watching it very closely," Sharp said. "It is different if you get in trouble here in Chinhae than if you get in trouble in San Diego."
Sharp spent more than two hours touring the base, reviewing current and proposed construction sites, and talking with unit commanders about concerns, including some about obstetrics services and funding for morale programs.
Pregnant women at Chinhae generally transfer to the care of the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital at Yongsan Garrison just before their due dates.
But most from Chinhae elect to stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge rather than the hospital’s designated "Stork’s Nest," according to Lt. Shawn Spooner, a family practice doctor and head of Branch Health Clinic Chinhae. He said some have complained in the past that the rooms allocated for expectant families smell of mildew.
Sharp said he would look into the issue.
