Does this mean we’re paying for THAAD for South Korea?
The United States has wrapped up its survey of candidate sites for its advanced missile defense (MD) system to be deployed in South Korea, with a final decision likely to be made before their annual defense ministers’ meeting in October, sources said Monday.
Washington has made no secret that it is considering deploying a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, an integral part of its MD system, to South Korea, citing evolving threats from North Korea. [Yonhap]
Does the “it” mean that U.S. taxpayers are going to pay for that expensive missile defense system, even as South Korea — burdened with far less public debt per capita than this country — continues to reduce the size of its own military? Well, apparently it does mean that.
But take some comfort in this — if you’re not South Korean, that is: South Korea, under pressure from the ChiComs and the neo-Soviets not to deploy THAAD, is saying that the system is only for the protection of U.S. Forces Korea. Tough luck, people of South Korea.
I don’t agree with the American taxpayer funding all of this, it’s needed for the South yes, but the South Korean government should fund at least half of it.
It doesn’t quite matter whether or not the “people of South Korea” are protected as long as THAAD protects USFK, right? BMD is just added deterrence and ROK’s indigenous L-SAM plan is yet again another example of ROK stubbornness..