READINESS OF MILITARY FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

SEC. 1322. READINESS OF MILITARY FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (a) Findings.— Congress makes the following findings: (1) Under existing security arrangements between the United States and the Republic of Korea, responsibility for the defense of the territory of the Republic of Korea is allocated so that the Republic of Korea has primary responsibility for the ground defense of its territory and the United States has primary responsibility for air and sea defense of the Korean peninsula and for reinforcement. (2) The Force Improvement Program of the Republic of Korea-has not fully addressed critical shortfalls in its ground force capability which continue to exist even though the Republic of Korea spends approximately $12,000,000,000 annually on defense while the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea spends approximately $4,000,000,000 annually on defense. The Republic of Korea has directed substantial defense resources to procuring submarines, destroyers, advanced aircraft, and other military systems that are marginal to its primary ground defense responsibility. (3) The defense acquisition decisions of the Republic of Korea have had the effect of not allowing the Republic of Korea to attain self-sufficiency in its ground defense responsibility. As a result, there exists an undue burden on the United States for the ground defense of the Korean peninsula. (4) The lack of intelligence capability to forecast the military intentions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea presents major problems for the combined United States-Repubic of Korea defense of South Korea. 108 STAT. 2904 (5) A short-warning attack by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would cause major losses to the combined United States-Republic of Korea ground force. (b) Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that the President should urge the Republic of Korea to continue to improve its military ground forces with emphasis on counterartillery capabilities, defense against ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction, combined United States-Republic of Korea logistics capabilities, combined United States-Republic of Korea medical support, and combined United States-Republic of Korea capabilities for tactical intelligence and indications and warning of a North Korean attack. (c) Report.— Not later than January 15, 1995, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report, in classified form, on— (1) the readiness of the military forces of the Republic of Korea to defeat an attack by the military forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and (2) the adequacy of the defense acquisition strategy of the Republic of Korea to meet its primary ground defense mission.