Border Wall Will Be Built with Money Budgeted for US Armed Forces in Korea

Published in MK News
(South Korea) on 21 March 2019
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Sean Kim. Edited by Denile Doyle.
It has been reported that the United States Armed Forces in Korea are among the defense facilities that may have their budget converted so it can be used to build the border wall with Mexico. According to reports from AP and CNN, Command Post TANGO in Seongnam and the unstaffed air vehicle hangar in Gunsan are included on the lists sent to Congress by the Department of Defense.

The subject under consideration is a magnitude sum of $12.9 billion, and hundreds of businesses are included in that amount. However, this is not supported by last year’s standard. The Department of Defense converted about $3.6 billion to build the wall. As of 2019, the budget allots about $17.5 million to Seongnam Command Post Tango. As of 2018, the budget allots about $53 million to the UAV hangar in Gunsan.

Command Post Tango is an important facility for the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, a command bunker designed to weather a nuclear attack.

The national emergency declared on the Mexican border came about after Congress only partially approved President Donald Trump’s demands for border wall construction funds in its final bill for next year. If a national emergency is declared, the executive branch can redirect $6.6 billion dollars without congressional approval, money which it will take from the national defense budget. The problem is that the U.S. has considered reducing the budget for the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea, including the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command Wartime Command Facility. If it does this, it could reduce or even withdraw its armed forces in Korea, citing a lack of funds. Moreover, this budget conversion from the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea comes during a time when there has been no progress in the denuclearization negotiations with North Korea. This kind of approach from the U.S. is worrisome in that it may shake the foundation of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the trust between the two countries.


미국이 멕시코와 국경 장벽 건설을 위해 예산 전용을 검토 중인 국방 사업 가운데 주한미군 시설도 포함돼 있다고 한다. AP통신과 CNN 보도에 따르면 미 국방부가 의회에 보낸 목록에 성남의 탱고 지휘통제소와 군산 무인기 격납고가 들어 있다는 것이다. 검토 대상에는 129억달러 규모의 수백 개 사업이 담겨 있는데 작년 말 기준 아직 자금이 지원되지 않은 사업이다. 국방부는 이 중 36억달러가량을 전용해 장벽 건설에 쓸 계획으로 알려졌다. 성남 탱고 지휘소는 2019년도 기준 1750만달러(197억원), 군산 무인기 격납고는 2018년도 기준 5300만달러(599억원)씩의 예산이 책정돼 있다.
탱고 지휘소는 한미연합사령부의 전시 지휘벙커로 전술 핵무기 공격에도 견딜 수 있도록 설계돼 있는 중요 시설이다.

이번 일은 미 의회에서 최종 승인한 내년도 예산안에 도널드 트럼프 대통령이 요구한 국경 장벽 건설 예산을 일부만 반영하자 멕시코 접경지역에 대해 국가비상사태를 선포한 데서 비롯됐다. 비상사태가 선포되면 행정부는 의회 동의 없이 66억달러의 예산을 전용해 쓸 수 있는데 국방예산에서 끌어가겠다는 것이다. 문제는 미국이 한미연합사의 전시지휘시설을 포함한 주한미군 예산을 줄일 수 있다는 검토를 했다는 점이다. 이런 식이라면 앞으로 비용 부족을 내세워 주한미군 감축이나 철수까지 치달을 수도 있다. 더욱이 주한미군 예산 전용이 북한과의 비핵화 협상에 진전을 전혀 보지 못한 상황에서 나왔다. 미국의 이런 접근이 한미동맹의 근간과 양국 간 신뢰를 흔들까봐 걱정스럽다.
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