Marine Corps launches expanded mobile unit for N.K. contingencies

SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- The Marine Corps has formed a new mobile unit tasked with attacking North Korea from the rear in the event of a contingency, a military official said Sunday.

The regimental-level unit of 3,000 troops was launched in the southeastern coastal city of Pohang on March 1, dubbed "Spartan 3000," the official said.

The troops will be on standby for deployment to all parts of the Korean Peninsula within 24 hours, tasked with destroying key military facilities in the North's rear during contingencies. In peace time, they will be mobilized to respond to emergency situations and disasters.

"In the past, the battalion-level unit took 24 hours to be deployed across the Korean Peninsula, while the regimental-level unit took 48 hours," the official said on the condition of anonymity. "However, the new unit will be able to operate within 24 hours even at the regimental level."

The new unit's wartime operational skills were tested during a set of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States that ended Friday.

hague@yna.co.kr
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