Jun. 12, 2012 - Updated 08:24 UTC (17:24 JST) | NHK World
US to deploy more attack helicopters in S.Korea
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5o8EiqKJ9t8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The commander of the US military in South Korea says he has asked his country's Defense Department
to deploy more attack helicopters in case of provocation by North Korea. General James Thurman said in a
lecture in Seoul on Tuesday that the US military will maintain the highest level of readiness.
Thurman revealed a plan to increase the number of Apache helicopters deployed in South Korea from the current
24. He did not mention a specific number, but said the plan is aimed at preventing North Korean provocations like
the 2010 shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
Thurman also said he asked for additional troops for a unit equipped with the Patriot Advanced Capability-3,
or PAC-3, missile defense system, to be ready for ballistic or short-range missile attacks. He also indicated that the
US and South Korean militaries will jointly enhance capabilities to defend against cyberattacks.
The North has warned that it will take special action against the South. North Korean fighter planes are said to be
increasingly active over the Yellow Sea.
US to deploy more attack helicopters in S.Korea
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5o8EiqKJ9t8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The commander of the US military in South Korea says he has asked his country's Defense Department
to deploy more attack helicopters in case of provocation by North Korea. General James Thurman said in a
lecture in Seoul on Tuesday that the US military will maintain the highest level of readiness.
Thurman revealed a plan to increase the number of Apache helicopters deployed in South Korea from the current
24. He did not mention a specific number, but said the plan is aimed at preventing North Korean provocations like
the 2010 shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
Thurman also said he asked for additional troops for a unit equipped with the Patriot Advanced Capability-3,
or PAC-3, missile defense system, to be ready for ballistic or short-range missile attacks. He also indicated that the
US and South Korean militaries will jointly enhance capabilities to defend against cyberattacks.
The North has warned that it will take special action against the South. North Korean fighter planes are said to be
increasingly active over the Yellow Sea.
