What is Korean Augmentation to the United States Army?
[[File:KATUSA soldier from 2-9IN, 1BCT, 2ID.JPG|thumb|alt=|A South Korean soldier training under the KATUSA program.]] '''Korean Augmentation to the United States Army''' ('''KATUSA''') is a scheme of military duty in [[South Korea]]. Under this program, soldiers in the South Korean Army are given posts in [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] bases that are located in several places in South Korea. KATUSA soldiers are under the command of both the South Korean Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense. The purpose of the KATUSA program has been different depending on the historical situation in Korea. == History == The KATUSA system was established in July 1950 during the [[Korean War]]. It was started as a spoken agreement between President [[Rhee Syng-man|Syngman Rhee]] and U.S. General [[Douglas MacArthur]]. At that time, the U.S. Army needed a military force that had the proper knowledge of the [[geography]] of Korea, and the abilities to distinguish ally troops (South Korea) from enemy troops ([[North Korea]]) and communicate better between U.S. soldiers and Korean soldiers. Therefore, some were drafted to KATUSA by force, and others voluntarily (by their own choice) applied . After [[training]], they were divided into the U.S. military, such as 2nd, 7th, 24th, 25th divisions. During the Korean Wars, a total 43,660 KATUSA soldiers fought for South Korea with U.S. forces. Of these soldiers, 11,365 went missing or were [[killed in action]]. After a [[ceasefire]] agreement between the United States and North Korea, the U.S. government decided to keep the KATUSA system. It was kept so that KATUSA soldiers could make up for the instant shortage of U.S. forces from the military evacuation. The KATSUA soldiers could also help the American soldiers who stayed behind in Korea to keep a good relation with the Korean military. Therefore, the KATUSA system still has been operating in Korea with some changes in its method of operations. == Process == Every South Korean male aged between 18 and 28 must do at