Osan Air Base
37°05'N, 127°02'E
Osan is the most forward deployed air base to North Korea, only 48 miles away. Osan Air Base covers 1,565 acres. One of its most prominent features is it's 9,000-feet runway. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is only 30 miles north of Osan. The airfield is only 45 nautical miles south of the DMZ and was overrun twice by North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War.
A senior ranking U.S. military official said on 25 April 2003 that most of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will be moved to Osan-Pyeongtaek area in the long term, heightening the possibility that the headquarters of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command (UNC), currently in Yongsan Garrison, will be moved to the area. “ There is a long-term vision that has most of the U.S. forces located in the Osan/Pyeongtaek area,” said Maj. Gen. James Soligan, Deputy Chief of Staff UNC/USFK to reporters after giving a speech before 250 American Korean War veterans in Seoul. “There are clearly discussions going on, but no decisions have been made. That’s a long-term objective.” According to Soligan, the USFK hopes to realign and consolidate its bases, currently scattered throughout the peninsula, into two major “hubs” _ one in the Osan-Pyeongtaek area, home of the Osan Air Base, and the other in the Daegu-Busan area, which includes Camp Hialeah. It was the first time the USFK indicated a major reshuffle of military base positions. Changes in the existing Land Partnership Plan (LPP) South Korea and the U.S. signed in 2001 to consolidate U.S. military bases are inevitable as a result.
South Korea and the United States agreed 17 January 2004 in a meeting held in Hawaii, US, to relocate all the US troops currently stationed in Seoul. The two allies reached the agreement at the end of a two-day meeting named "Future of the ROK (Republic of Korea)-US Alliance Policy Initiative" talks. All the 8,000 US troops, including the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command (UNC), will move out of Seoul to Pyeongtaek before 2006. Only the USFK general command office along with 50 relevant personnel will remain in Seoul. South Korea will shoulder all the expenses of 3 billion US dollars of the relocation.
Osan Air Base is located in a section of South Korea known as the western lowlands. The low-land features of the surrounding terrain end rather abruptly north and northeast of the air base. Hills and mountains cover about 75 percent of Korea, with the remainder covered by scattered lowlands. Most of the rivers are short, swift, and shallow due to topography, narrowness, and sand deposits within the river. Three well-defined ridges begin approximately 11 miles (20 km) north through northeast from Osan Air Base. They are oriented north-south, with heights varying from 1,600-2,000 feet (488-610 meters). More gradual terrain changes occur east through south of the base for about 25 miles (46 km). However, even in this area of general gradual sloping, conditions, some isolated hilltops do extend to 1,000 (305 meters). An irregular chain of mountains with heights to 2,200 feet (671 meters) lies 25 miles (46 km) east-southeast through south of the base. The western rim of the Southern Taebaek and Sobaek mountain ranges lie 40 miles (74 km) northeast through southeast of the base.
Three separate valleys merge near Osan Air Base to form a relatively large flat basin about 5 miles (9 km) long and 2-4 miles (4-7 km) wide. The undulating hills that border these valleys rise to heights of 600 feet (183 meters). The Chinwi River flows westward parallel to the runway, and joins the Hwanggai-Chon River 1 mile (2 km) west of the field. The Yellow Sea is approximately 12 miles (22 km) due west, with one inlet to the southwest coming within 6 miles (11 km) of the base. The base is also surrounded by rice paddies, which enhance the already abundance moisture sources affecting the area. As the amount of moisture available would indicate, fog is one of the major forecast problems for Osan Air Base. The hills from the northwest through east through southwest shield Osan from most strong winds, but also tend to produce mechanical turbulence when low-level winds are in excess of 15-20 knots. Wind flow between 260-300 degrees is practically unimpeded allowing strong moisture advection from the Yellow Sea. This often results in sea fog and stratus during the spring and fall.
The Hardened Theater Air Control Center at Osan AB is the largest Combined Air Operations Center in the world. The "Hardened" in the HTACC's designation derives from the 10-foot-thick walls, hence the nickname "Cheyenne Mountain of South Korea." The Hardened Theater Air Control Center's Defense Red Switch Network provided superior multi-level, self-authenticating, flexible, secure communications, which enhanced leadership's command and control effectiveness.
Osan needs data supplied by its tenant reconnaissance/intelligence units, such as the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron. Nicknamed the Blackcats, the 5th RS flies the gliderlike U-2s on daily missions that can last 11 or 12 hours. There's no rest for a unit that delivers information capable of deciding a battle's outcome. After two decades of being the warfighter's eyes and ears in Korea, the 5th has flown more than 7,000 operational sorties. Using data-link capabilities in near real-time, the 5th RS provides fresh images to the 607th Air Intelligence Squadron for dissemination to policy-makers and combat troops.
Even though Osan, located next to Songtan--a part of Pyongtaek City--is considered a remote assignment, a stroll down the base's main drag says otherwise. There, the aroma of American fast-food restaurants pulls in hungry customers, especially students attending a Department of Defense high school across the street. Considering Osan's mission and locale, many newcomers are astonished to see family members, especially children. After all, word has it that Osan is an unaccompanied tour. Not so; the base has nearly 400 accompanied slots, primarily for mission-essential positions. Osan, with its 37 dorms, is second only to Lackland AFB, Texas, in the number of single/unaccompanied living quarters, and three new dorms are under construction at the Korean base. By the turn of the century, enlisted dorms were refurbished to include not only the common areas, but also new furniture for the majority of the 9,700 rooms. Contrary to belief, Osan troops don't live in Quonset huts or tents
The United States Air Force has a continuing requirement to maintain adequate supplies of ammunition and explosives within the ROK to support wartime and contingency operational plans. Since capabilities are limited on USAF-controlled installations, the US obtained additional storage capabilities through a concept known as MAGNUM (Munitions Storage Activities Gained by Negotiations of USAF/ROKAF Memorandum). MAGNUMs are a concept unique to Korea, where USAF-titled munitions are stored at facilities which are owned, operated, and protected by the ROKAF. Accordingly, the USAF has very little control over the storage of munitions within these areas and no authority to enforce the maintenance of Q-D clear zones. As a result of encroachment by the Korean civilians into the explosive clear zones, there are large numbers of exposures around the MAGNUMs. There is a permanent exemption from US DOD Q-D standards for off-installation and ROK exposures created by storage of USAF munitions at MAGNUM locations. This exemption applies for all off-installation and ROK violations created by the originally sited net explosives weight (NEW) of storage structures located at the Osan, Kunsan, Suwon, Kwang Ju, Sachon, Taegu, and Cheong Ju MAGNUMs.
Prior to the invasion of the Republic of Korea by the north Korean communists in 1950, the area, now designated Osan Air Base, consisted of four villages near the hillsides and a large number of rice paddies where the runway now lies. Originally designated K-55, the base was redesignated as Osan Air Base in September 1956. The base was not named for any of the villages on the site. The first base commander named the base Osan, as it was the only village shown in this region on military maps and because it was easy to pronounce. The word "Osan" means Crow Hill.
The four villages which were moved to make room for the base were Jeuk-Bong-Ri, Chang- Deung-Ri, Shin-Ya-Ri and Ya-Ri. A large ginkgo tree that was in the village square of one of these villages still stands on a hill in the present golf course site.
Osan is situated near the site of two significant battles which occurred early in the Korean War. The first ground combat action between American and north Korean forces was fought just a few miles north of Osan Air Base. To halt the advancing north Korean army, which had siezed Seoul and was pushing south, Maj. Gen. William F. Dean, commander of the 24th Infantry Division, sent two understrength infantry companies and a headquarters element from Japan to Pyongtaek on 2 July 1950, where they were joined by elements of an artillery battalion.
Under the command of Lt. Col. Charles Bradford Smith, this force of 540 men, now called "Task Force Smith" moved into position at Juk Mi Pass, just south of Suwon Air Base, where they faced more than 5,000 north Korean soldiers and 34 Soviet built T-34 tanks. Smith’s mission was to halt the enemy drive south and allow Gen. Dean time to regroup United Nations forces and establish a defensive perimeter.
On July 5, 1950, "Task Force Smith" engaged the enemy near Chukini-Ryong. The battle raged for seven hours, as the task force held firm against an entire communist division. Outnumbered, outgunned, and out of ammunition, the survivors managed to fight their way clear and reach Pyongtaek where they joined elements of the 34th Infantry Regiment. Delaying actions continued just north of Chonan, until the weary soldiers pulled back to Taejon where General Dean had established his headquarters. The delaying actions fought by Task Force Smith and the 34th Infantry enabled the 24th Infantry Division to land in Korea and establish and hold the "Pusan Perimeter" along the Naktong River.
Topping a hill a few miles north of Osan on the road to Suwon stand two monuments. On the west side of the highway a stone pillar constructed by Companies B and C of the 3rd Engineering Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, pays tribute to the first American soldier who gave his life in the valley. The larger memorial on the east side of the road was erected by the Republic of Korea to honor the gallant men of Task Force Smith who had fought so bravely.
Osan also is remembered as the location for the first US Army company-strength bayonet charge since World War I, which occurred on February 7, 1951. Part of a larger force charged with the task of clearing the Republic of Korea of all communist troops south of Seoul, Army Capt. Lewis L. Millett and his soldiers charged the communist Chinese forces holding Hill 180, which dominates present day Osan Air Base. For his heroic actions, Captain Millett received the Medal of Honor.
Osan Air Base is the only airfield built by the United States in Korea. They completed the 9,000 foot runway in November 1952. The ROK government allowed the USAF to purchase 1,250 acres in 1952 to expand the base and a fifth Korean village (unnamed) was relocated in 1953 to enlarge the compound area for the location of Headquarters, Fifth Air Force, which maintained an advanced headquarters until the arrival of the 314th Air Division in 1954.
Elements of the 839th, 841st, and 417th Engineering Battalions took part in constructing the base. The rolling hills were transformed into a base of operation and the runway was completed in less than six months. The runway opened in December 1952, with the advance elements of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing arriving for duty late in the month. The 18th Fighter Bomber Wing provided air operations in support of United Nations ground forces during the Korean conflict.
Following the war, Osan AB was transitioned to standby status and hosted only temporary duty or transient units involved in PACAF tactical operations. During that time most facilities fell into disrepair. Concrete surfaces were restored in 1957 and total renovation projects were completed in 1958 when the base became a permanent peacetime installation.
Osan has hosted saw many types of fighter aircraft in its history, from the F-86s during the Korean War, F-100s in the late 1950s, F-105s in 1962-1963, F-106s in 1968-1969, F-4s in 1971. Today, the host 51st Fighter Wing flies the A-10 and F-16 fighter aircraft.
The 51st Air Base Wing actually relocated from Naha Air Base, Okinawa, to Osan AB on November 1, 1971, and assumed all support responsibilities for base units and sites. The wing was redesignated the 51st Composite Wing September 30, 1974. On July 1, 1982, the 51st Composite Wing was redesignated the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing. Ten years later, in February 1992, the wing was redesignated the 51st Wing.
On October 1, 1993, the 51st Wing became the 51st Fighter Wing. Today, the Seventh Air Force and 51st Fighter Wing Headquarters buildings are located at the base of the now famous Hill 180.
Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets helped maintain freedom in the skies over South Korea while 36th Fighter Squadron F-16s were away at Air Force exercises. Twelve two-seat F/A-18s and approximately 170 maintenance people from Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, stationed at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, S.C., arrived at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, for their 45-day tour 14 Feburary 1999. As part of their unit deployment program, the Marine aircraft flew missions normally flown by aircraft in the 36th FS, which were at Cope Thunder at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and also at Combat Archer at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The aircraft and personnel had been deployed from MCAS Beaufort to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, where they are on a six-month deployment supporting operations in the Pacific theater.
Bomber pilots from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, demonstrated the Air Force’s ability to reach out and touch the world 7-9 March 2000 during a Global Power mission to the Republic of Korea. The mission, called Coronet Spider 27, called for two 9th Bomb Squadron B-1Bs to conduct training as a complete strike package with Osan A-10s and F-16s and F-15s from Kadena Air Base, Japan. Unfortunately, training time at Osan was cut short due to unforeseen problems. One aircraft experienced minor mechanical problems and the second mission was cut short due to low visibility caused by a snowstorm.
Osan's runway closed for repairs 03 May 2000 causing a diversion of most of the base's flight operations to nearby Suwon Air Base (a Republic of Korea air force installation) until the project was completed 31 May 2000. Construction management, horizontal and other civil engineer shops replaced 20 concrete slabs, remove melted rubber from the runway, and repair taxiways, among other projects. Osan's fleet of A-10s, F-16s, U-2s, the Osan Eagle and other aircraft operated out of Suwon, but helicopter operations continued at Osan. The base's C-12s operated out of nearby Camp Humphreys. Flightline workers commuted back and forth between Osan and Suwon, and about 60 to 70 people were billeted there full-time. Adding Osan's two flying squadrons to a base that already had a full flying schedule with five flying squadrons of its own really impacted the number of sorties Suwon can support. This caused a reduction in Osan's flight operations during the month. In past years, Osan closed its runway up to two weeks at a time for repairs, and the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron worked continuously throughout the year to fix immediate runway problems.
The establishment of the Korean Air Simulation Center at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea made air and space power modeling and simulation a permanent fixture on the Korean peninsula. It serves as a valuable resource to the Korean Combined Forces Command, the US Air Force and Defense Department. The KASC uses modeling and simulation technology to enable an array of computer and software tools to create graphically represented, synthetic environments for training and mission planning that challenge decision makers while testing strategy, plans and doctrine.
The KASC specifically focuses on air and space power modeling and simulation and is one of two centers outside the United States. In the past, the modeling and simulation tools that were used during Ulchi Focus Lens had to be flown in from the United States, set up, and tested -- an expensive, several-week ordeal. Following the exercise, the reverse would occur. Now that the sophisticated modeling and simulation tools are in place year-round, the time and resources available for training have increased dramatically.
The center’s powerful modeling and simulation tools provide benefits to the combined forces commander, air component commander, and down through the squadron level. The models allow for practicing the execution of air and space tasking orders for missions, whether strike, reconnaissance, inter-theater airlift, logistics, unmanned aerial vehicles or maintenance. The models and simulations allow the same people who are doing their jobs in wartime to walk through the decision making process -- in exactly the same manner they would if hostilities were to occur.
During Ulchi Focus Lens ‘96, the KASC was linked real-time to the Korean Battle Simulation Center in Seoul, Camp Casey, the Navy’s 7th Fleet Blue Ridge Command Ship, the Air Force’s Theater Battle Arena at the Pentagon, the Warrior Preparation Center in Germany, and several other locations. The technology that made this possible is known as distributed interactive simulation. DIS allows computers, software, models and simulations, as well as individuals, to interact real-time anywhere in the world.
Modeling and simulation, leveraged by DIS is revolutionizing exercises such as Ulchi Focus Lens, and ultimately the way the armed services train. The ability to distribute modeling and simulation globally will position the KASC to become one of the premier modeling and simulation centers in the Air Force. Continuing advances in technology promise to make the center a resource that is in great demand by units throughout the Korean theater, Pacific Air Forces, and other units interested in air and space power modeling and simulation throughout the world.
The FASTBACK system that was replaced in Korea is reflective of the typical legacy mw systems used by the US Army to support worldwide long haul communication requirements. The FASTBACK system (seven individual links) provided a secure reliable means of transmitting bulk data collected along the Demilitarized Zone to command groups located in the southern part of the country. The equipment (i.e., radios and multiplexers) supporting the FASTBACK system had been in operation for over fifteen years, utilizing technology that was over twenty years old. The FASTBACK system consisted of an AN/FRC-162 radio and AN/FCC-97 multiplexer. In the late 1990s it was replaced by a high speed (155 Mbps) SONET digital microwave radio that utilize the digital data multiplexer (DDM)-2000 OC3 multiplexer. The Digital Microwave Upgrade DMU Phase I is a good example of what occurs when the link bandwidth is increased (8 DS1s to 84 DS1s (three 45 Mbps DS3)) with high speed SONET digital microwave and interface requirements to existing older, low speed mw technology. The Yongsan to Madison, Osan to Madison, and Camp Humphreys to Madison FASTBACK links were replaced during Phase I with the Harris MegaStar 2000 SONET radio. The remaining FASTBACK mw links between Madison and Kamaksan, Kangwhado, and Songnam, and Kamaksan and Yawolsan, were replaced during DMU Phase III. In conjunction with the DMU, the digital patch and access systems (DPAS) at Yongsan, Osan, and Camp Humphreys were upgraded to support up to three DS3s each.
