WASHINGTON: The US Army is permanently stationing an attack drone system and its support personnel in South Korea amid ongoing tensions with the North, a Defense Department spokesman said Monday. Officials said the deployment, due by next year, was not unique to South Korea and was being conducted across the Army to provide infantry divisions with better intelligence. It typically takes a company of 128 soldiers to maintain the drones, and there are usually 12 Gray Eagles per company. A US missile defense system, THAAD, is being deployed to South Korea in the face of threats from the North. The United States has about 50,000 troops in Japan, and another 28,000 in South Korea.

Source: Manila Times March 13, 2017 20:03 UTC