[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Will the UN Command's Rear Base Role Expand?

Core Forces of 7 UN Command Rear Bases on Japanese Mainland
Large-Scale Deployment Possible During ROK-US-Japan Joint Exercises

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized the role of the United Nations Command (UNC), leading to speculation that the UNC rear bases located in Japan will play a central role in the trilateral combined exercises between South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Since these bases serve as key hubs for reinforcement forces, including the U.S. military, in case of emergency, it is expected that not only combined exercises but also military capabilities will be significantly strengthened.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In his Liberation Day speech on the 15th, President Yoon highlighted Japan’s “UNC rear bases” as the “greatest deterrent factor blocking North Korea’s invasion.” Ahead of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit, this appears to be an effort to emphasize Japan, where the UNC rear bases are located, as a security cooperation partner deterring North Korean aggression.

The UNC can immediately deploy member countries’ forces in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula without a separate United Nations Security Council resolution. The countries providing UNC forces include 18 nations such as South Korea, the United States, and Australia, which participated in the Korean War. Although Japan is not a force-contributing country, the seven UNC rear bases in Japan require Japan’s cooperation for smooth reinforcement during emergencies. This is why military diplomacy with Japan is being emphasized.

The UNC rear bases located in Japan include seven sites: Yokosuka (Navy), Yokota (Air Force), Camp Zama (Army), Sasebo (Navy), and in Okinawa, Kadena (Air Force), White Beach (Navy), and Futenma (Marine Corps). Approximately 50,000 U.S. troops are dispersed across these bases.

The Yokosuka Naval Base serves as the headquarters of the U.S. 7th Fleet. It is also the home port of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, a “floating military base” deployed to the Korean Peninsula in emergencies. Ships departing from Yokosuka can reach the Korean Peninsula within 48 hours and the Philippines within 60 hours.

Yokota Air Base, which is also the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Air Force, hosts large transport aircraft such as the C-130. In case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, these aircraft are tasked with transporting troops and supplies to the peninsula and evacuating Americans to the Japanese mainland. Kadena Air Base is home to F-22 stealth fighters and RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, which frequently deploy to the Korean Peninsula. Sasebo Base houses large amphibious assault ships roughly the size of medium aircraft carriers and stores millions of tons of reserve ammunition.

White Beach Naval Base, where the Okinawa Fleet Support Group is located, is the departure point for U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa during emergencies on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan is one of the largest reinforcement forces deployed most rapidly in such situations. Marines departing from White Beach Naval Base can arrive on the Korean Peninsula within a day and commence operations. The Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in Japan will switch its mission to serve as an airfield for the UNC rear bases during emergencies on the Korean Peninsula.

Starting with the summit meeting on the 18th, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are expected to significantly strengthen their combined exercises. The trilateral combined exercises conducted so far have focused on three main areas: search and rescue, missile detection and tracking (warning), and anti-submarine warfare. Search and rescue exercises have been held since 2011, missile detection and tracking (warning) exercises since 2016, and anti-submarine exercises since April 2017 during the Park Geun-hye administration.

In addition to these exercises, South Korea and the U.S. plan to conduct the “Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS)” exercise from the 21st to the 31st, during which more than 30 combined field training exercises will be conducted to enhance the combined operational capabilities of units and commands. This number of live training exercises exceeds the 25 conducted during the “Freedom Shield and Warrior Shield (FS·WS)” combined exercises held earlier this year, which were described as “unprecedented.” There is also analysis suggesting that forces from the seven UNC rear bases (U.S. bases in Japan) could participate in these combined field training exercises.

North Korea, on the other hand, demands the dissolution of the UNC. At the United Nations General Assembly in October 2021, Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, claimed, “The UNC in South Korea was illegally established by the United States and is unrelated to the UN in terms of administration and budget,” adding, “The U.S. claim to the existence of the UNC is to legitimize and perpetuate its occupation of South Korea and to achieve political and military objectives in the Asia-Pacific region.”

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