The USFK 'Thunderbolt' That Flew 3000km... Why?

On the 14th, the A-10 Thunderbolt II was unveiled at the 'Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition 2019 Media Day' held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. / Seongnam = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Recently, six A-10 aircraft belonging to the US Forces Korea (USFK) stationed in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, conducted training in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 3,000 km away, and have returned. This is analyzed as part of the US's ongoing emphasis on expanding rotational deployments and enhancing strategic flexibility.

According to the Facebook page of Osan USFK Air Base on the 25th, six A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft from the 25th Fighter Squadron under the 51st Fighter Wing moved to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam from the 10th to the 21st. These A-10s conducted armed drop exercises while flying back and forth over the training airspace in the Northern Mariana Islands, located about 220 km from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The distance from Osan Air Base to the Northern Mariana Islands is over 3,000 km. The US military released videos and photos of this training.

The US military stated about this expeditionary training, "It demonstrates the ability to rapidly redeploy forces or establish and operate units anywhere at any time as desired," adding, "The primary mission is to train to maintain peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region."

The US has consistently advocated for expanding rotational deployments and enhancing strategic flexibility. This expansion and flexibility increase the likelihood of deploying USFK forces to conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and imply the possibility of adjusting force size as needed. Notably, the US is currently conducting force optimization adjustments across all combatant commands, including the Indo-Pacific Command, European Command, and Africa Command.

This aligns with the 'Dynamic Force Employment (DFE)' concept introduced by the Donald Trump administration. The DFE concept evolved from the 'Global Defense Posture Review (GDPR)' introduced by the Bush administration in 2004. GDPR involved withdrawing forward-deployed forces in Europe and other regions back to the US mainland and operating forces globally through rotational deployments and strategic flexibility.

Based on this concept, USFK A-10s regularly participate in multinational joint amphibious exercises such as 'Cobra Gold' held in Thailand and US-led joint naval exercises like 'Pacific Rim' conducted near Hawaii. There are also claims that the recent expeditionary training of the A-10s is related to the trend of US Air Force bomber task forces (Bomber Task Force: BTF) involving B-1B strategic bombers, B-2 stealth bombers, and B-52H long-range bombers operating across global combatant commands.

The US Air Force in Korea has upgraded the wings of 24 A-10s stationed at Osan Air Base to enable them to conduct close air support (CAS) missions for ground forces through the 2030s. The A-10 is equipped with a fixed GAU-8/A Avenger 30mm rotary cannon. The 30mm rounds, numbering about 1,170, are depleted uranium armor-piercing shells capable of penetrating tanks and armored vehicles. Due to this capability, the A-10 has earned the nickname 'Tank Killer.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.