Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley said Thursday the military force has spent 18 months preparing for war in Korea so President Donald Trump "has the widest latitude of options if needed," Military.com reported.
In remarks before the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee, Milley told lawmakers the Army has been working with commanders from the Pacific Command and in South Korea to make sure soldiers are ready for possible missions.
"We have done a tremendous amount over the last 12 to 18 months or so in preparation for any possible contingency, so that the president has the widest latitude of options if needed," he told lawmakers, Military.com reported.
Milley said the Army has conducted "a significant amount of training for contingency operations" on the Korean peninsula with troops stationed there, as well as with the approximate 70,000 soldiers in the Pacific Command "and another 30,000 depending on exercise schedules," Military.com reported.
In the United States, he said starting from 18 months ago, some units have been selected to "increase their readiness training specifically oriented toward high-end, combined-arms warfare."
"[W]e have been running those units pretty hard, getting them to a much higher level of readiness," Milley said, Military.com reported.
The Army has worked closely with PaCom leaders as well as commanders on the ground in South Korea to ensure units are ready a number of possible missions, Milley said.
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