A unit with the complex name "Korean Augmentation for the United States Army" - Korean Augmentation To the United States Army, KATUSA, is a special group in the US Eighth Army, consisting of active Korean troops under American command. It was created in July 1950 with the outbreak of the Korean War, when President Lee Seung Man transferred control of all Korean troops to Douglas MacArthur, and there is no legal basis for the existence of such an exotic formation to this day - only oral agreements and private letters. Nevertheless, the system, which was originally created as a temporary one, has proved surprisingly stable and will soon celebrate its 66th birthday.
I must say that the problems in the management of the southern part of Korea for the Americans began from the first day of the occupation in 1945. The difference between the two cultures was all too obvious, and the few Anglo-Korean translators often played their own game for personal gain. The already difficult situation became completely intolerable with the outbreak of the Korean War. The first fighters of the new unit were assigned to the Seventh Infantry Division of the US Army and their training camps were initially located in Japan. I must say that not all of the first KATUSA fighters were volunteers. There is evidence that the Americans forcibly recruited a unit from among refugees in order to later enter the front ranks during the landing at Incheon in September 1950.
Officially, the purpose of the existence of KATUSA since 1950 has not changed - to provide the US Army with a large number of troops who know the Korean language, customs of the population and the terrain, so that at a critical moment the coordination between the armies is maximum. Unofficially, this is how a pro-American military elite is created in the Republic of Korea. The main training camp of KATUSA today is Camp Jackson. There, Korean military personnel wear American uniforms and live and work with US military personnel to American standards. The oath is also different from the combined arms oath of the South Korean army. Service in the US Army is credited to Korean conscripts as service in the armed forces of their own country.
In South Korea itself, KATUSA has been criticized for the fact that Americans get the most talented graduates of Korean universities, although in theory, enrollment in the unit is randomly from among the soldiers who have the least knowledge of English. Nevertheless, getting into KATUSA and joining the American service is considered a great success for ordinary Korean soldiers, where there is a strong opinion that Americans have better living conditions, service, medical care, there is no bullying, and in general, such a fact is considered useful for the future. career. Therefore, the competition in KATUSA is traditionally very high, and the number of places is only decreasing. If in 2005 the unit had 4,800 military personnel, then in 2012 there were already 3,400. This figure is included in the total number of US military personnel in Korea.
Another controversial point is that a large number of Koreans are jarring from a structure with such a strong colonial flavor. So much so that even false reports about the closure of the program appeared in the press several times.
Under the current agreement with the United States, in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, control of the entire South Korean army will be transferred to the United States. Initially, it was assumed that the right to command its own troops would be returned to Seoul in 2015, but later the date was pushed back to 2020. This means that a layer between the two armies is still needed. For this reason, the KATUSA program will continue, and it is not planned to close it after 2020.
