UNC bases in Japan play critical role in Northeast Asia security

Diplomacy

Published: 13 Feb. 2024, 19:43

UNC bases in Japan play critical role in Northeast Asia security

The members on the Peace Odyssey take a group picture in front of the transport carrier C-130 Hercules at Yokota Air Base, Japan on Dec.5, 2023. From left, Choi Hyun-man, Mirae Asset Securities chairman; Im Hyug-baeg Korea University’s professor emeritus; Kim Kwang-doo, chairman of the Institute for the Future of the State; Yu Myung-hwan, former Foreign Minister, Park Tae-ho, former Foreign Ministry’s Trade Minister; Hong Seok-hyun, Chairman of JoongAng Holdings and the Korea Peace Foundation; Oh Se-Jung, former Seoul National University president, United States Forces official, Yoon Young-kwan, former Foreign Minister; Kim Yoon, Korea Japan Economic Association chairman; Choi Sang-yong, former Korean Ambassador to Japan; Park Hong-kyu, Korea University professor; Kim Jae-shin, former Korean Ambassador to Germany; Lee Won-deog, Kookmin University professor; Shin Jung-seung, former Korean Ambassador to China; Lee Ha-kyung, JoongAng Ilbo senior columnist; Choi Eun-mi, Asan Institute for Policy Studies fellow researcher and Wi Sung-rak, former Korean Ambassador to Russia. [WOO SANG-JO]

The Peace Odyssey, a delegation of incumbent and former diplomats, politicians and scholars led by Hong Seok-hyun, chairman of JoongAng Holdings and the Korea Peace Foundation, visited the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, approximately an hour's drive south of Tokyo, on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6.

Upon arrival, the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) were visible.

The naval base serves as the home port for the USS Ronald Reagan.

The recent visit to the United Nations Command (UNC) rear base in Japan represents a continuation of the Korea Peace Foundation's ongoing quest for peace in Northeast Asia since its establishment in 2015.

Established in 1950 in the aftermath of the 1950-1953 Korean War, the UNC has been instrumental in preventing further conflict and upholding peace on the peninsula by maintaining the armistice and deterring North Korean aggression.

The UNC extended its presence to Japan to uphold these objectives.

The Peace Odyssey's trip marked the first time the UNC granted foreign civilians access to its rear bases in Japan since the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are seven UNC rear bases in Japan. The Peace Odyssey visited two — the Yokosuka Naval Base and the Yokota Air Base.

While the UNC has made most base facilities accessible, a few remain off-limits. Amid the rapidly evolving international landscape characterized by increased cooperation between North Korea, China, and Russia, the UNC sought to provide accurate information about its role.

Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) oft the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, for maintenance on Dec. 6, 2023. [WOO SANG-JO]

U.S. Seventh Fleet on standby
The UNC rear base has highlighted the necessity of security cooperation with Japan in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The seven UNC bases in Japan have emerged as crucial links in security cooperation between Korea and Japan and between Korea, the United States and Japan.

The UN rear bases operate with the mission of rounding up and supplying rear support to troops and equipment for UN member states in the event of an emergency in Korea. A significant military force is stationed in Yokosuka for this purpose.

Yokosuka is the port where U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry first arrived with a fleet of "black ships" on July 8, 1853.

The USS Ronald Reagan, the only U.S. Navy aircraft carrier among 11 forward deployed overseas, is stationed in Yokosuka.

Since the USS Midway (CV-41) was dispatched in 1973, the U.S. Navy has forward-deployed aircraft carriers such as USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and USS George Washington (CVN-73) at Yokosuka Naval Base.

The USS Ronald Reagan has been stationed in Yokosuka since 2015. In October last year, the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier visited Busan after participating in the first-ever South Korea-U.S.-Japan maritime interdiction and counter-piracy exercise southeast of Jeju Island. It then returned to its home port of Yokosuka in November.

A U.S. Seventh Fleet official told the Peace Odyssey that the USS Ronald Reagan patrolled or participated in exercises in Japan and the Indo-Pacific region for over half of the year.

During the visit, the USS Ronald Reagan was undergoing maintenance. The aircraft of Carrier Air Wing Five were relocated to the U.S. naval air base in Atsugi.

The USS Ronald Reagan runs on two nuclear propulsion reactors fueled by uranium enriched to 93.5 percent.

The aircraft carrier can operate for at least 20 years without refueling.

Nuclear reactor specialists from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington State were inspecting the USS Ronald Reagan.

According to a Navy officer, the USS George Washington will replace the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base in 2024.

The amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) is the flagship of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

The vessel is specially designed from bow to stern to accommodate various command and communication equipment.

One of the distinctive features was the bulging hull design, which, according to a Seventh Fleet official, resulted from expanding the space to mount equipment such as antennas.

Other vessels from the Seventh Fleet, including destroyers, were docked at the naval base.

All U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers are equipped with the Aegis system.

However, nuclear-powered submarines were not seen at Yokosuka Naval Base during the visit as they were deployed for operations.

The Seventh Fleet covers a vast territory, spanning the Pacific Ocean from the International Dateline to the center of the Indian Ocean.

The fleet maintains readiness to deploy 70 to 80 vessels, 275 aircraft, and 37,000 personnel at "any given time." Additionally, it can augment its strength by receiving reinforcements from the U.S. mainland and military bases worldwide if necessary.

The amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) of the U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on Dec. 6, 2023. [WOO SANG-JO]

The Peace Odyssey visited the air base in Yokota the day before. It is over 7 square kilometers, twice the size of Yeouido in Korea.

The air base is the headquarters for the joint U.S. Forces Japan and the Fifth Air Force.

At the base's heart lies a runway extending for over 3 kilometers.

Various aircraft types, including transport planes, support planes, and helicopters, were visible throughout the base.

The 374th Airlift Wing is stationed at the air base. However, there were no fighter jets or bombers.

At the base, there was also a tiltrotor aircraft, the CV-22, capable of taking off like a helicopter and flying like a propeller plane.

A Fifth Air Force official said that Yokota Air Base serves as the central hub for Indo-Pacific operations.

The official highlighted that all equipment, supplies and personnel from the U.S. mainland are dispatched to every corner of the Pacific Ocean through Yokota Air Base.

The Peace Odyssey was introduced to the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, during the visit. It represents the latest iteration of the C-130 Hercules, which has been in production since 1956.

The specifications of this upgraded military transport aircraft include a length of 35 meters, a height of 12 meters, and a wingspan of 40 meters. It features four six-blade propellers and an all-digitalized cockpit.

It can carry a maximum cargo load of 20 tons and take off from short runways as short as 1 kilometer in length.

“The more we learn about the meaning of operations in case of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the more we learn about the important role of the UNC,” said former Defense Minister Han Min-koo. “The national security of South Korea, the United States and Japan is closely interconnected through the UNC rear bases.”

The significance of UNC rear bases in Japan
President Yoon Suk Yeol, during last year’s speech marking the 78th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japanese occupation, emphasized that the seven rear bases of the UNC in Japan are the primary deterrent against North Korea’s invasion of South Korea.

“The UNC automatically and immediately becomes involved and retaliates if North Korea invades South Korea,” Yoon said. “The UNC rear bases are the repositories for essential ground, naval and air forces.”

The rear bases mentioned by President Yoon include Yokosuka Naval Base, Yokota Air Base, Camp Zama on mainland Honshu, Sasebo Naval Base on Kyushu, Kadena Air Base, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, and the White Beach Naval Facility on Okinawa.

Following North Korea’s invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 84, permitting the establishment of a unified command center for UN member states.

It was the first and only UN force ever created.

General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces and the Commander of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, also served as the Commander of the United Nations Forces.

In September 1951, Japan regained its sovereignty from the U.S. military government after signing the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Concurrently, Japan exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the UNC to continue supporting the UN forces stationed in Japan.

Three years later, Japan signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the UNC member countries that deployed their forces.

Through this agreement, the countries participating in the Korean War were granted the use of military bases in Japan for deploying soldiers as well as logistical supplies.

On July 1, 1957, the UNC relocated its headquarters from Tokyo to Seoul.

Since then, the seven bases in Japan have been managed on a smaller scale as rear bases.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jeong Seung-jo said when the South Korean military deployed troops from the Zaytun Division to Iraq in the early 2000s, it waited in Kuwait for a month before moving to its base in Erbil.

Supplies delivered to the base in Iraq also transited through Kuwait.

"The UNC-Rear would ultimately play a role similar to that of Kuwait in case of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula," said Jeong. "Due to its significant role in South Korea's national security, the UNC-Rear is essential for security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan, and even more crucial for security cooperation between South Korea and Japan."

Tetsuro Kuroe, former Japanese defense vice minister, said that the presence of the United States-led UNC stationed on mainland Japan symbolizes the ironclad relationship between the United States and Japan.

The importance of the UNC rear bases grew in the 2000s as the forefront of economic sanctions against North Korea.

The UN, through the Security Council's resolutions, has imposed economic sanctions against North Korea, which has not only threatened security in Northeast Asia but also globally through its nuclear and missile development.

Additionally, the UN granted member states the authority to search vessels suspected of engaging in transactions that violate sanctions in international waters or harbors and to confiscate prohibited items.

Speaking anonymously, a diplomatic and national security official said that due to the 1954 SOFA agreement, the South Korean government has the freedom to utilize the UN rear bases in Japan after notifying the Japanese government in advance.

Because of this arrangement, North Korea has demanded the dismantling of the UNC, while China finds the UNC uncomfortable.

The UNC, which relocated to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, in 2018, has contributed to national security on the peninsula since the armistice in 1953.

However, following the transfer of operational control to the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), established in 1978, the UNC's primary mission has evolved to managing the armistice agreement and operating the rear bases in Japan in case of emergencies.

Since 2014, the United States has been actively working on revitalizing the dormant UNC.

One key objective was to expand its role as a command center by increasing the number of personnel from approximately 40 to 50 to around 70.

Additionally, the UNC was slated to assume command of noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO) for UN member states, excluding the United States, in the event of a second Korean War.

As part of assuming a more significant role, the UNC requested the Moon Jae-in government to send a Korean field-grade officer to the command.

However, the Moon government denied the request and even opposed the entry of German and Danish officers sent to the UNC.

The reason cited by the Moon government was that the UNC was seen as interfering with inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation.

The tensions between the South Korean government and the UNC turned around after the Yoon Suk Yeol government took office.

In November of last year, the South Korean government hosted its first Defense Ministerial meeting of UNC member states in commemorating the 70th anniversary of the armistice.

The 17 UNC member states reaffirmed their commitment to protecting peace and democracy on the Korean Peninsula and expressed their intention to expand joint exercises.

This year, the Korean government intends to send a Korean officer to serve at the UNC.

Kwon Tae-hwan, chairman of the Korea Defense Diplomacy Association, said that if North Korea didn't possess nuclear weapons, the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces would be sufficient to address threats, allowing the UNC to focus on maintaining the armistice.

"However, given North Korea's advancement in nuclear and missile capabilities, we urgently require more than just a ROK-U.S. alliance," Kwon said.

The United States also seeks to broaden the UNC's role and mission beyond the Korean Peninsula.

In December last year, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill that proposes establishing a task force to analyze the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region and assess the feasibility of establishing the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization, a coalition similar to NATO.

In September last year, former UNC Commander General Vincent Brooks proposed expanding the UNC to the Far East Command, which would encompass South Korea and Japan.

His suggestion was viewed as an intention to establish an Asian NATO in the context of the growing confrontation between the United States and China.

"Due to the shifts in the East Asian security landscape, the role and mission of the UNC have become more comprehensive," remarked Park Young-june, a professor at the College of National Security at Korea National Defense University.

BY KIM DONG-HO, CHUNG YONG-SOO, LEE CHUL-JAE AND JUNG JIN-WOO [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]