ROKAF Airmen join base defenders

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Collier
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  It's an unthinkable scenario. Relations between the two Koreas break down and a threat of war looms over the region. If called upon, Airmen from both U.S. and Republic of Korea forces would be challenged with the daunting task of defending the South from an assortment of possible enemy forces, including SCUD ballistic missiles and elements of the North's special forces.

But traditional warfare is also something both countries train for. And in the event of war, one of those traditional threats could come from the sky in the form of the North Korean Air Force, which both ROK and U.S. Airmen, assigned to the 38th Fighter Group and 8th Fighter Wing respectively here, trained to counter July 25.

"Since the 38th FG and 8th FW have their own ways of training members and defending Kunsan Air Base, it's very important for both sides to understand each other," ROKAF Capt. Kim, Moon Jong said. "By training together, we can maximize [the] synergy effect and minimize misunderstandings and confusions between us."

Captain Kim, commander of the 38th FG's anti-aircraft battery, is charged with defending this base from the North's air forces. To accomplish this, they use the M-61 20 mm Vulcan cannon, capable of firing 6,600 rounds per second. Its six rotating barrels, firing at one time permit a high rate of fire while at the same time reducing the problem of barrel wear and heat generation.

But why would U.S. Airmen need to integrate into a ROK unit, specifically one with an anti-aircraft mission, a tradition billet for the U.S. Army's Air Defense Artillery?

"ROK forces are a critical element in our base defense plan," Senior Master Sgt. Alvin Blake, 8th Security Forces Squadron operations superintendent said. "Our joint training exercises allow us to test how we'll combine our operations into one fighting element and ensure seamless integration if we're ever called upon to conduct real-world operations."

That fighting element will ultimately be charged with defending Kunsan from enemy forces. The ROKAF's Vulcan cannon mission integrated into the base's overall defense plan allows for South Korean Airmen here to act as a force multiplier, allowing security forces officials to custom tailor a response to any type of enemy attack.

"Exercises and training are a part of the Wolf Pack culture," Sergeant Blake explained, pointing out the need for Wolf Pack Airmen to know the importance of what ROK forces bring to the fight. "To completely perfect our ability to perform our base defense mission, we need to test our capabilities with our ROK counterparts so together we are prepared to defend the base."

Sergeant Blake summed up the outcome of the training as "a huge success."

"With our turn-over rate here at Kunsan, each opportunity to train together allows us to continue to learn from one another," he said. "This ultimately builds a better fighting team, enhancing our defensive capabilities."