- Even as the United States seeks a negotiated settlement
to the nuclear standoff with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK), the Bush administration has quietly moved an array of high-tech
weaponry into the Korean peninsula, a report said Sunday.
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- Even as the <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/usa.html>United
States seeks a negotiated settlement to the nuclear standoff with the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/dprk.html>DPRK),
the Bush administration has quietly moved an array of high-tech weaponry
into the Korean peninsula, a report said Sunday.
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- The US started moving the weaponry, much of it battle-tested
in <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/iraq.html>Iraq and <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/afghanistan.html>Afghanistan,
into the areas south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides Korean
peninsula since the summer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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- This was part of a significant restructuring of the 37,000
US troops in the country, the front-page report said.
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- In return for moving soldiers away from the DMZ, the
Pentagon promised Seoul that it would spend 11 billion US dollars to bring
in the latest armaments.
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- One system emblematic of the high-tech transformation
is the new Stryker, a medium-weight armored vehicle that is supposed to
be light enough to airlift. Stryker brigades are expected to eventually
replace some of the conventional tank battalions.
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- In June, the Pentagon started replacing its Apache helicopters
in South Korea with the state-of-the-art AH-64D Apache Longbow. In July,
they started bringing in the Patriot advanced capability-3 system, which
can protect an area about seven times greater than the original system.
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- Another weapon, Shadow 200, or a tactical unmanned aerial
vehicle, was deployed in September. The Shadow, which can also be outfitted
with weapons, can provide real-time aerial reconnaissance.
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- The Pentagon is also expected to invest in high-speed
vessels that would be able to transport troops, equipment and munitions
from elsewhere in the region, the report said.
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- The US military also is expected to bring in joint direct
attack munitions, or "smart bombs," which can home in on their
targets even when dropped at high altitude or in bad weather, the report
said, quoting US officials.
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- Another expected weapon is the guided bomb unit-28, known
as the "bunker buster" for its ability to penetrate targets in
underground bunkers.
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- As the US upgrades its arsenal, the South Koreans are
expected to follow suit. Over the next month, they will deploy their first
missile capable of reaching the DPRK capital, Pyongyang.
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- Until two years ago, South Korea was restricted by treaty
to shorter-range missiles, but the limits were eased in the aftermath of
the DPRK's test-firing of a long-range Taepodong 1 missile over <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/japan.html>Japan
in 1998.
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- US officials refer to the new additions as "security
enhancements" and say they are not incompatible with US President
George W. Bush's often-repeated declaration that he would like the North
Korean nuclear crisis to be resolved diplomatically, the Times reported.
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