DoD Approves More Accompanied Tours In Korea

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DoD Approves More Accompanied Tours In Korea

By William H. McMichael and Erik Holmes - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Dec 12, 2008 17:25:00 EST

Reasoning that North Korea now poses no more of a likely threat to South Korea than the former Soviet Union did to Western Europe during the Cold War, the Pentagon will dramatically increase the number of duty tours in South Korea that include family members, and lengthen most such tours from two to three years.

Married troops also will be allowed to bring spouses and children on two-year command-sponsored tours in two cities that lie between Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two nations — cities that currently do not allow accompanied tours.

Standard unaccompanied tour lengths of 12 months would not change for single troops.

Married service members, however, will have a choice. While the scope of the plans for each city will vary depending on the decisions of service leaders, these members should be able to bring their families on a two-year tour in Uijongbu and Dongducheon, three-year tours in one of five other cities or choose to go alone to South Korea for one year.

The changes, approved Dec. 1 by Pentagon personnel chief David S.C. Chu and unveiled Dec. 10, are subject to the adequacy of infrastructure, services and base support in each location.

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