U.S. service members and their families gather at Camp Humphreys' downtown plaza after a ruck march in South Korea, Dec. 6, 2024. (Michelle Lessard/U.S. Army)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — A Pentagon policy extending two-year tours for troops who bring their families to South Korea will improve quality of life and enhance security on the Korean Peninsula, according to senior military officials.
Announced last month, the change extends accompanied tours by one year and is expected to be fully implemented by October 2027.
The current two-year tour is “out of step” with conditions on the peninsula, Air Force Col. William Parker, director of personnel for U.S. Forces Korea, told Stars and Stripes on Feb. 28 at USFK’s headquarters on Camp Humphreys.
Accompanied troops make up nearly one-fourth of the roughly 28,500 U.S. service members in South Korea, he said. USFK approves about two-thirds of requests for family accompaniment, depending on available space and resources.
The U.S. military’s presence in South Korea changed significantly in 2018 when most troops began relocating from Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to Humphreys, a 3,600-acre base in Pyeongtaek, about 40 miles south of the capital.
“We were in Yongsan, and Camp Humphreys was just a major construction zone,” Parker said. “Since then, we’ve moved much of our forces down here. The quality of life for our service members has improved significantly. The mission has evolved tremendously, and we have not changed our tour policies in conjunction with that.”
An additional year in South Korea helps address challenges military families face, such as spouses finding employment on base and frequent relocations, he added.
Army Col. Arron Lummer, of Eighth Army’s personnel department, said the extension may seem minor but can provide stability for families.
“That one year really can make a big difference in adding that little bit of stability, to give that family the opportunity to put down a little bit more roots and grow to discover themselves here with the Korean culture,” he said at USFK headquarters. “I think it could potentially have a profound impact on quality of life.”
Extending tours also reduces turnover among experienced personnel and strengthens the military’s deterrence mission against North Korea, Parker said.
“A lot of the folks are filling positions or in key leadership positions, and having that continuity of mission is critical,” he said. “We see that at all levels here and across all components.”
Parker also noted that family stability plays a role in deterrence efforts.
“By striking a balance and keeping some families here, to keep some of that continuity of mission, we improve our deterrent effect,” he said.
During the Cold War, U.S. troops were stationed in Germany with their families, he added.
While the policy change may save “millions of dollars” in relocation costs, Parker said financial considerations were not the driving factor.
“This does not require any additional investment in terms of infrastructure,” Lummer said. “It’s about the families who are already here and those to come in the future, affording them the opportunity to stabilize in one location for up to three years to become increasingly vested in the mission.”
The command is also reviewing potential changes to the tour length for unaccompanied troops, who typically serve one-year tours in South Korea, but no immediate changes are planned, Parker said.
