(News Focus) USFK assets-Middle East
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| ▲ This photo shows a launch vehicle of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system being dismantled at a U.S. military base in Seongju, some 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 10, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on March 10, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ The launch vehicle of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is seen at a U.S. military base in Seongju, some 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 5, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(News Focus) USFK assets-Middle East
(News Focus) USFK's relocation of military assets to Middle East raises concerns about Seoul's capability to deter N.K. threats
By Kim Hyun-soo
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)'s apparent move to relocate parts of its air defense systems deployed in South Korea to the Middle East amid the Iran war spawns concerns that the move could affect the South's capability to deter North Korean threats.
U.S. troops stationed in South Korea appear to be moving Patriot missile defense batteries and parts of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system from South Korea to the Middle East, though the South Korean military and the USFK declined to confirm.
With the Iran war entering the second week following U.S.-Israeli strikes against Tehran on Feb. 28, President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday the USFK may ship out some air defense systems to outside the Korean Peninsula in line with its own military needs.
"Depending on how the situation unfolds ... the USFK may dispatch some air defense systems abroad in accordance with its own military needs. While we have expressed opposition, the reality is that we cannot fully push through our position," Lee told a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
The possibility of the USFK's military asset relocation has been raised amid reports that Washington faces a fall in stockpiles of intercepting missiles as Iran struck back with a barrage of missiles and drones.
At least two C-5 and 11 C-17 U.S. military transport aircraft have taken off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, since late last month, according to a real-time flight tracking website, fueling speculation about the movement of some of its Patriot missile defense systems to the Middle East.
Two Patriot batteries were previously deployed to the Middle East in June last year when Washington carried out major operations targeting Tehran's nuclear facilities, before they were returned to South Korea in October.
Citing two U.S. officials, the Washington Post reported Monday (local time) that the Pentagon was "moving parts of the THAAD system from South Korea to the Middle East."
Integral to South Korea's multilayered missile defense system, a THAAD battery, designed to smash enemy missiles during their final phase of flight, has been deployed to better cope with North Korea's missile threats.
A possible relocation of the U.S. military assets could be perceived as in line with Washington's pursuit of "strategic flexibility," a move to expand the operational scope of the USFK beyond the Korean Peninsula to cover potential China-related contingencies, including a Taiwan conflict.
Attention is being paid to the possibility of whether the USFK may relocate further military assets, such as the U.S.' Army Tactical Missile System, and potentially move personnel to the Middle East if the Iran conflict escalates into a war involving the deployment of ground forces.
In 2003, the USFK's combat forces were mobilized during the Iraq war, and the troops did not return after the armed conflict ended in 2011.
The South Korean government is currently assessing the potential relocation of the U.S. air defense systems as not undermining the South's deterrence posture against North Korea, citing the country's sizable military spending and its defense power.
"If you ask if our deterrence strategy against North Korea is severely affected (because of a possible shift of such assets), I can say absolutely not," President Lee said at the Cabinet meeting.
Still, Lee said while South Korea has expressed its opposition to the USFK shipping out its military assets, it is a "stark reality" that South Korea's opinions would not be fully accepted.
Experts said the South Korean military-owned Patriot missile batteries and the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile system could partially replace the USFK's Patriot missile systems apparently moved to the Middle East.
But there are no alternative military assets to replace the THAAD system as only a single THAAD battery is deployed in South Korea.
In 2024, South Korea completed the development of a homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) system, designed to shoot down incoming missiles at altitudes of above 40 kilometers. But the deployment of the L-SAM is expected to begin next year.
Jeong Han-beom, a professor at Korea National Defense University, ruled out any direct impact from the USFK's move on Seoul's deterrence against North Korean threats in the near term.
"It doesn't seem to have any impact (on North Korean deterrence) as of now, since the assets subject to relocation are likely to be spare assets," Jeong said. "(The U.S.) seems to have used up a lot of its anti-air missiles, so it is trying to extract its assets from other places to compensate for the missile shortage," he added.
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