The Death of an Alliance, Part XIII: The Last Chopper

The Korea Herald reports on some fairly earth-shaking changes in U.S. Army aviation assets in Korea:

• The 17th Aviation brigade will be deactivated. The 17th–one of my old client units–is one of the largest aviation units in Korea, and probably the major helo transport asset. I’mlooking at one of their coins right now. The article mentioned a cut of 200 troops, which sounds like a gross underestimate.
• Whatever’s left of the 17th will be put under the 6th Cav, which is headquartered at Humphreys, but has units at Long and Eagle. Then, to keep things confusing to the enemy, 6th Cav will become the 2nd Aviation Brigade.
• 2/52 Aviation Battalion, which provided some of my best fight cases and barracks larcenies (as well as a whole bunch of Chinooks) is going from beautiful Camp Humphreys to Ft. Hood.
• 1/52, a Blackhawk unit, is headed for Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. Ouch.
• One more Apache battalion is on the way home in the near future.
• 24 Blackhawks were withdrawn recently; no word on how many more total aircraft will depart. USFK isn’t saying.
• USFK says this is all part of the previously agreed, pre-planned force reductions;

Here’s another part I found interesting: the USFK claims that it’s doing this “as part of efforts to transform its troops into an easily deployable force to any regional emergencies.” I’m not sure they’re going to like that at the Blue House, where they think of the USFK as their own personal forest of terra-cotta warriors.