SEOUL — The command charged with overseeing installation operations in South Korea was deactivated on Friday as part of an Army-wide effort to save money.
The former U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Korea, headquartered at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan in Seoul, was absorbed into IMCOM-Pacific, headquartered at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, during a ceremony at Yongsan. No operations in South Korea will be affected by the change, according to Dan Thompson, spokesman for the former IMCOM-Korea.
However, most of IMCOM-Korea’s 300-plus civilian employees will be forced to move into other jobs. The Army is working to find employment for them elsewhere in the military system, and all are expected to find jobs, Thompson said. A forward-operating team of 30 to 50 people is expected to remain in South Korea, he said.
The amount of money expected to be saved by the deactivation was not available on Friday. However, IMCOM commander Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch said in a press release that “repositioning several major commands will save millions in personnel and facilities costs...and is needed to put the Army on the path to future sustainability.”
Thomas Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said because of ongoing economic difficulties “tough choices have to be made, but we’ll make them in a thoughtful and deliberate manner that best supports the Army’s mission.”
