Hmmm, seems we want to rape most of 2ID as a fighting force out of Korea by years end.

quote:

Report: S.Korea Says U.S. to Delay Troops 35 minutes ago World - AP Asia SEOUL, South Korea - The United States has agreed to delay the planned withdrawal of 12,500 troops from South Korea (news - web sites) by three years to 2008, a news agency reported Wednesday. Under the deal, Washington will withdraw a total of 5,000 troops this year, and the rest by 2008, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The agency cited an unidentified South Korean official. The United States had previously said it would redeploy the 12,500 troops by the end of 2005, bringing the total remaining to about 24,500. Some 3,600 U.S. troops have already redeployed this year from South Korea to Iraq (news - web sites). The South Korean Defense Ministry planned to announce details of the agreement at a news conference later Wednesday, Yonhap said. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Maureen Cormack said she had no comment. The redeployment away from South Korea is part of Pentagon (news - web sites) plans for a worldwide realignment of American forces that President Bush (news - web sites) has said would help the United States better respond to today's threats. His Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) has criticized the move, saying it would embolden North Korea (news - web sites) even as the international community seeks to get the communist nation give up its nuclear ambitions. South Korea is concerned that the departure of large number of U.S. troops could leave a security vacuum at a time when the international community is trying to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons development. South Korea wants more time to bolster its defense before the U.S. redeployment. U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Guess we'll rely on quick deployment instead if necessary.


[[[smoke]]]