DoD’s Korea tour normalization plan on hold - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

DoD’s Korea tour normalization plan on hold

The Defense Department’s plan to normalize tours in South Korea appears to be in a holding pattern pending completion of needed infrastructure and budgetary considerations.

“U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Korea continue to have the option of applying for command sponsorship authorizations,” said Col. Andrew C. Mutter, spokesman for 8th Army, the major Army command in South Korea.

However, approval for such tours, in which family members accompany soldiers to Korea, is based on a soldier’s assignment and mission priority.

“It is important to note that we are not increasing our current command sponsorship authorizations, or are we transitioning to three-year tours like Germany, Italy and Japan,” Mutter said in an email to Army Times. “Although we are exploring other tour length options, no decisions have been made at this time.”

The U. S. has about 28,000 troops assigned to South Korea, 19,000 of them soldiers.

In 2008, just as U.S. Forces Korea launched a major construction, consolidation and restationing campaign, the Defense Department approved, on a limited basis, longer tours for troops assigned to Korea.

In testimony before Congress last year, military officials said the long-term goal for the command is provide enough support facilities for 14,000 families.