- Song Kyung-Seok/Pool Photo via AP.
VIVA – The United States (US) military launched a space force unit in South Korea on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. It will help better detect ballistic missile launches from North Korea.
The activation of the US Space Force at Osan Air Base, South Korea comes after North Korea conducted tests of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, designed to strike the US mainland and its allies South Korea and Japan in recent months.
"Just 48 miles north of us is an existential threat, one that we must be prepared to prevent, defend against, and if necessary, defeat," told US Lt Col Joshua McCullion, head of the new space unit.
The US Space Force-owned unit was launched in December 2019 under the leadership of former US President Donald Trump, who at the time dubbed it the first new US military service in more than 70 years.
The Space Force is seen as an affirmation of the need to more effectively organize the defense of US interests in space, especially on satellites used for civilian and military navigation, intelligence, and communications.
Pasukan Luar Angkasa AS di Korea.
- Song Kyung-Seok/Pool Photo via AP.
An earlier Pentagon report said China and Russia had begun major efforts to develop technology that would allow them to disrupt or destroy American and allied satellites in times of crisis or conflict.
As quoted from AP, Thursday, December 15, 2022, US Space forces in Korea are subordinate to a larger US Space Force unit, which was established within the Indo-Pacific command in Hawaii last month.
The Main Role of the US Space Force in South Korea
Head of the South Korean Defense Studies Forum think tank, Jung Chang Wook said the US Space Force was created to bring together diverse surveillance assets, including space-based satellites in one organization to manage, and develop effectively and systematically.
He added its unit in South Korea will work like a field unit, while another in the Indo-Pacific Command will be its headquarters.
"US Space Forces Korea will maintain, operate and assess related equipment. Simply put, I would say the actual US space operations will be conducted at Osan Air Base," Jung Chang Wook remarked.
He emphasized that the main role of the US Space Forces Korea will be to receive, process, and analyze a large amount of data and information transmitted by US satellites.
"The US military is faster, more connected, more informed, and more precise," said General Paul LaCamera, commander of 28,500 US troops.
"Specifically, the activation of US Space Forces Korea here, today, to enhance our ability to defend the homeland and ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia."
The US military in South Korea said that one of the key mission areas the space unit will focus on in South Korea is missile warning operations, which provide real-time detection and warning of ballistic missile launches.
The new unit's duties also include coordinating space operations and services such as position and time navigation, and satellite communications in the region. Jung said the launch of the space unit in South Korea is likely aimed primarily at better surveillance of North Korea, then also at keeping an eye on China and Russia.
