Vehicles and other equipment for a new U.S. unit on a 9-month rotational mission will arrive in South Korea next week, the U.S. 8th Army has announced. The equipment from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division based at Fort Bliss, Texas, will arrive at the port of Busan, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

M3A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) from 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division during an exercise in South Korea (Picture source: Sgt. Patrick Eakin, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

The new contingent will replace the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, which is completing its rotational deployment in support of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division “Indian Head”. Around 490 troops of the new contingent have already arrived.

Unlike previous rotational deployments, the outgoing team will take some of their equipment, including M1A2 Abrams tanks and M2A3 Bradley IFV, back to the United States, while the new contingent will bring in some of their own equipment. The exchange of equipment is aimed at ensuring maintenance and service of the old equipment and aligning deployed forces with current U.S. Army-wide modernization and readiness efforts, the 8th Army said. "The noticeable difference this time is the movement of tracked vehicles," Col. Joseph R. Morrow, the 8th Army logistics chief, said. "This added complexity gives our soldiers the opportunity to maintain skills in shipping and safely moving large-scale equipment."