Korea commander: More family facilities needed

[unhappycamper]

Korea commander: More family facilities needed
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 9, 2008 6:07:58 EDT

Money and facilities shortfalls are the only barriers to lengthening troop tours and increasing the number of fully sponsored families stationed in South Korea, the top U.S. commander there said Wednesday.

“I would like Korea to become an assignment of choice for all our service members and their families,” Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command, told Pentagon reporters. “Our goal is to reach the point when the majority of service members can bring their families to Korea and stay there for normal three-year tours.”

Sharp’s predecessor, Gen. B.B. Bell, launched a sharp increase in two-year command-sponsored tours of South Korea. Command sponsorship grants families full privileges for use of U.S. facilities, the receipt of housing and living allowances, and travel costs.

The command wants to accelerate that change, eventually move to three-year tours and provide command sponsorship for all families — a plan that would complement the planned movement of USFK forces away from the demilitarized zone to large bases further south and the ongoing shift of U.S. combat command responsibilities to South Korea, both slated for completion in 2012.

Cash for the moves will come from two sources: South Korea, which provides about 43 percent of non-personnel stationing costs for the U.S. presence, and Congress.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_korea_100808/%2e