U.S. to deploy 12 F-16 fighter jets to Osan, S. Korea

The United States will deploy 12 F-16 fighter jets and some 300 pilots and airmen to South Korea amid concerns over North Korea’s additional provocations following its launches of the Musudan missiles last month.

According to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Thursday, 12 F-16 fighter jets will be deployed to Osan Air Base from the 169th Fighter Wing from McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. They will be subordinated to the 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron under the U.S. Pacific Air Forces to examine combined operational capabilities with the South Korean air force for the next three to six months and help deter North Korean provocations. They will also reportedly master the topography of the Korean Peninsula and conduct drills to strike major military targets in the North.

A USFK official noted that a dozen F-16s, which were deployed to Osan in April, will return to the mainland U.S. in early August and that the U.S. air force will be beefed up during the rotation period.

The USFK operates three F-16 squadrons (some 60 units). A South Korean military official said that the deployment is part of the U.S. Pacific Command’s routine theater security package meant to deter adversaries and enhance stability. The United States has been deploying the F-16 and the F-15, fighters and the 1-10 attack aircrafts to South Korea on a rotational basis since the USFK’s withdrawal of the Apache attack helicopters in 2009.

윤상호군사전문기자 ysh1005@donga.com