Additional U.S. ground forces may not be able to arrive in South Korea in time in case of an emergency situation in North Korea due to America’s heavy commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan, senior U.S. officials said Wednesday.
“We could not get the Army units required for South Korea into South Korea on the time line required by the plan,” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. “That’s not to say they wouldn’t get there. It’s just that they wouldn’t get there as quickly because of the commitments that we have in Iraq and Afghanistan. And so certainly initially we would be especially dependent on the Navy and the Air Force.”
Fear not, though — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said we’d be able to send extra troops to Korea after we draw down our presence in Iraq in 2011.
Wonder if anyone at the hearing asked whether we, like, actually need to send extra ground forces to Korea in the event of a provocation…
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It is interesting that this statement comes after DNI Blair in the 2010 Annual Threat Assessment dismissed north Korea’s conventional threat even though two years ago the ATA described north Korea as having the capability to create over 100,000 casualties in hostilities it wouldn’t win.
Does this mean that the fateful day of south Korea having to defend itself without the US has arrived?
US Troops Might Come Late
Any Brit during WW2 could have told us that.
World War I too
We were a bit worried in the Reagan era though, that you would come to WW III early.
Mind you Bush still seems to have tried…later 
Arghaeri,
A few too many wink/smiley faces.
Well, its just I’ve noticed Americans can be more sensitive on this than a Korean who’s been told Kimchi sucks!!
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