Stop One-Year Korean Tours?:

March 12, 2007

The head of US Forces Korea, Army Gen. Burwell Bell, testified last week at a House Armed Services Committee hearing that it is time to switch the one-year tour to South Korea to a “normal, three-year accompanied tour.” Bell explained, “It’s time to end our one-year war zone rotational tours which needlessly add to our high worldwide operational tempo while handicapping our engagement opportunities with our longtime Korean ally.” Burwell said he is looking for Congressional fiscal support while he pursues the change within Pentagon channels. (Currently, the Air Force permits some personnel to serve 24 month accompanied tours.)

Related Content

Afghanistan Withdrawal Continues as Taliban Makes Gains

June 22, 2021
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan continues on pace, and though Taliban violence has increased—with the group taking more districts from the Kabul-based government—there are no plans to slow the drawdown yet. U.S. Central Command said June 22 that more than 50 percent of the withdrawal had been completed as of…

Which Wings Would Lose A-10s Under USAF Plan

June 22, 2021
The Air Force’s proposal to cut 42 A-10s in its fiscal 2022 budget request would target units at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and the Indiana Air National Guard, with the units losing their Warthogs but picking up a follow-on mission. The service wants to, over two years, cut its…

Space War, Like the Cold War, Is All Risk, No Reward

June 22, 2021
Two officials with the Air Force Research Laboratory have ideas for what to expect from a war in space and where in orbit they think the U.S. military should next extend its reach. Looking past the need to manage space traffic in Earth’s increasingly crowded satellite belts, Col. Eric J.…

USAF Would ‘Greatly Value’ Congressional Boost for Sustainment, Flying Hours

June 22, 2021
Flying hours dropped in the Air Force's fiscal 2022 budget request because weapon system sustainment costs ballooned, senior USAF officials told lawmakers on June 22. They said the service would value Congress adding money to the budget to help with weapons system sustainment, which in turn would help the Air…

Senate Committee Advances Air Force Undersecretary Nominee

June 22, 2021
The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the nomination of Gina Ortiz Jones to become undersecretary of the Air Force on June 22, setting her up for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks. Jones’ approval comes three weeks after the same committee advanced Frank Kendall III…

Reports: DOD Planning to Draw Down Forces in Middle East

June 21, 2021
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to draw down the number of fighter squadrons in the Middle East while also withdrawing missile defense systems as part of a broad shift in the U.S. military’s force posture in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III informed the Saudi regime that Terminal…

After 5 Million Shots, Military’s Federal Vaccination Sites Are Done

June 21, 2021
The last federally supported COVID-19 vaccine center staffed by U.S. military personnel closed June 20, wrapping up more than four months of vaccinations at dozens of sites nationwide. While the federally supported sites have closed, National Guard personnel are still supporting state and local vaccination sites, Pentagon spokesman John F.…

Barksdale B-52s Complete Task Force Deployment

June 21, 2021
B-52s from Barksdale Air Force, La., on June 18 finished the latest bomber task force deployment to Europe in a dramatic fashion, flying two separate long-distance training missions in the Arctic and in Africa. On June 17, B-52s that were part of the task force took off for a “cross-combatant…