Compass Points - Yoon Letter
Dear President Yoon, ROK
Compass Points - Yoon Letter
Dear President Yoon, ROK
July 15, 2024
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Someone from the US Marine Corps needs to write a short letter to South Korea's President Yoon. An email would work, but an actual letter would be better.
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Dear President Yoon,
I have some bad news for you . . .
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Recently, South Korea's President Yoon visited US Marine base at Camp Smith, Hawaii. Camp Smith is the home of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Special Operations Command Pacific, and Marine Forces Pacific. In his remarks, President Yoon praised the strength of the bond between South Korea and the United States.
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The president explained the reason behind his visit to the command was “to shore up the ironclad KORUS alliance and our combined defense readiness amid dire international circumstances and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.” Yoon referred to the Indo-Pacific Command as “a pillar of the KORUS alliance that supports combined defense readiness and plays a central role in the US Key Resolve strategy in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.”
“The dedication and hard work of Indo-Pacific Command staff are the true strength that drives the powerful KORUS alliance, trilateral Korea-Japan-US cooperation and solidarity in the international community,” he added.
This is the first time a South Korean president has visited the US Indo-Pacific Command in 29 years.
-- Hani
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No doubt President Yoon is confident that "in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula" the US will immediately send forces to help defend South Korea against an invasion from North Korea. That is what happened back in the summer of 1950 when North Korea attacked. US forces from Japan and elsewhere were immediately sent to South Korea and those US forces, particularly Marines, helped slow the North Korean advance.
If North Korea were to attack today, President Yoon must still believe the US military forces in Japan would once again be sent to help. What forces would be sent to South Korea? President Yoon might think that the air power of the US Air Force's 18th Wing at Kadena AFB at Okinawa, Japan would be sent to South Korea. The 18th Wing is the largest operational wing in the Air Force. President Yoon is correct, the fighting air power of the 18th Wing would arrive quickly.
What about ground forces? President Yoon most likely thinks that just as in 1950 the US Marines would come to the rescue. President Yoon might believe that the US Marine combined arms, infantry division, 3rd Marine Division also on Okinawa, Japan, would come to the rescue once again. Unfortunately, that is not true. After all the good things he said about the strength of the US - South Korean alliance, someone needs to tell President Yoon that the combined arms infantry of the 3rd Marine Division is not coming to the rescue this time. Why? Because even though the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa still calls itself, "The Fighting Third," the division has very little combined arms infantry to fight with. 3rd Marine Division no longer has an artillery regiment; a traditional fire and maneuver capability; and virtually no combined arms capability to support Marine infantry in the close and rear battle.
Across the Marine Corps over the last several years, infantry battalions have been reduced in number, reduced in the number of Marines in each infantry battalion, along with significant reductions in cannon artillery, aviation, engineering, and much more -- compounded by the total elimination of Marine armor.
As bad as these reductions have been, 1st Marine Division and 2nd Marine Division still have some infantry. It is worse in the 3rd Marine Division. Once the 4th Marine Regiment completes its transformation into a Marine Littoral Regiment, the 3rd Marine Division will have zero combined arms infantry regiments. Small, disconnected infantry is all that will remain. Once the 4th Marine Regiment is gone, the 3rd Marine Division will have a tough time finding the infantry to protect its own small headquarters base at Camp Courtney, Japan, much less rushing in to protect South Korea from a North Korean combined arms infantry invasion.
It is not that US Marines and South Korea do not still hold military exercises together, they do. This past March the military units from the US Marine Corps and South Korea participated in a field training exercise in South Korea,
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U.S. Marines and Republic of Korea Marines with 23rd Battalion, 1st ROK Marine Division, execute military operations during Warrior Shield 24. Warrior Shield 24 is an annual joint, combined, and inter-agency exercise in the ROK that strengthens the combined command and control capabilities of U.S. and ROK forces. This exercise provides the U.S. and ROK Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capability of the U.S.-ROK alliance.
-- Marines.mil
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But small field training exercises with small military units are no substitute for the power and might of what used to be the US Marine Corps' forward deployed, combined arms, infantry division, 3rd Marine Division. The Marine Corps is required under US Code Title 10 to maintain no less than three fully equipped, combat infantry divisions. How has the combat infantry of "The Fighting Third" been allowed to disappear?
All that is left to do now is to start the process of rebuilding all three Marine combined arms, infantry divisions, including the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa. In the meantime, it is only fair to come clean with President Yoon.
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Dear President Yoon,
I have some bad news for you about the 3rd Marine Division . . .
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Hani (English Edition) - 07/11/2024
Yoon warns of threat posed by N. Korea, Russia while speaking at US Indo-Pacific Command
The president referred to the US regional military command in Hawaii as a “pillar” of the South Korea-US alliance
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1148745.html
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Marines.mil
3rd Marine Division
The Fighting Third
Okinawa, Japan
https://www.3rdmardiv.marines.mil/
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Marines.mil - 03/27/2024
FTX - Warrior Shield 24
www.marines.mil/News/Marines-TV/videoid/925466/
When a problem is presented, it should be expected that there is a solution presented. In an earlier post I brought up the "persona" characteristics a person could expect of a Marine infantry officer such as CMC, Gen. Eric Smith. Today in the head Shed there is a second persona. The persona characteristics one could expect of a fighter pilot such a the ACMC, Gen. Mahoney. You now have the infantry persona backed by a fighter pilot persona. In the world of personas it is a formidable combination. Yet, once again, Compass Points poses a problem for the defense of South Korea should the nation once again be invaded by North Korea. This is because CC claims the MLR Marines, as presently constituted, are not combined arms equipped to counter a North Korean combined arms invasion. Does the CC claim have merit? The answer is, "Yes." It is a problem if this happens. Does it move the needle in the Head Shed toward corrective action? Considering the 2 personas involved, probably not. That is, unless the CC problem as stated also includes a solution. There is a solution.
The MLR Marines of the 3rd Division are infantry Marines, or are infantry supporting Marines. These MLR infantry Marines would become the pointed end of the spear facing a North Korean invasion. But there is the combined arms issue? This can be resolved by geo-prepositioning a division's war reserve stocks and supplies in South Korea. Prepositioned War Reserve Supplies and Equipment are not additive to existing Marine Corps allowances. The PWR equipment and supplies can be structured so that the infantry MLR flown in as a FIE can be transitioned to a combined arms MAGTF infantry expeditionary force. The movement of aviation, logistics and the headquarters elements would have to be considered on a case by case basis because their organic structure has not been significantly altered by Force Design.
The solution then is a letter to Mr. Yoon that he propose a PWR equipment prepositioning program in South Korea similar to the model program completed in 1987 in Norway. There are other Geo-Prepositioning options possible to build back the marine Corps, but that is for another day. My bet is that providing solutions to problems would be more to likely to move the persona needles in the Head Shed than will continued criticism. Our Marine Corps would benefit. SF
Geographically, Russia shares a 10 mile land border and 12 mile maritime border with North Korea. Just to keep the potential players in view.