The Pentagon was quick to quell media reports that the US now plans to make a much larger cut to American forces in South Korea, dropping well below the previously announced 25,000 troops. A press release says “around 25,000.” According to Stars and Stripes, a US defense official told reporters that there could be an “additional reduction, but it would not be “a substantial reduction.” US and South Korean defense officials have been working on the appropriate future mix of command relationships, since Seoul said it wants to have more control.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
