Korean Augmentation to the United States Army

Korean Augmentation to the United States Army
KATUSA
미합중국 육군 증강 한국군
Eighth United States Army shoulder sleeve insignia
ActiveJuly 1950 – present
(74 years, 4 months)
Country South Korea
Part of Republic of Korea Army
Eighth United States Army
Motto(s)Solidarity (단결)
EngagementsKorean War
KATUSA Training Academy, Camp Jackson, South Korea
A KATUSA soldier assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division is wearing the U.S. Army's then standard cut of the Army Combat Uniform in Universal Camouflage Pattern on April 3, 2009. KATUSA units now wear the latest modern ACU uniform cut in the Operational Camouflage Pattern.
KATUSA training academy

Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA;[1] Korean: 카투사) is a branch of the Republic of Korea Army that consists of Korean enlisted personnel who are seconded to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA). KATUSA does not form an individual military unit. Instead, small numbers of KATUSA members are assigned to positions in most of the departments of the Eighth United States Army, filling in for United States Army enlisted soldiers and junior non-commissioned officers. KATUSAs are selected from a pool of qualified volunteers who are subject to mandatory military service for male Korean citizens.

While the ROK Army retains responsibility for personnel management of KATUSAs, KATUSA members are equipped with standard United States Army issues, and live and work with the U.S. enlisted soldiers.

The KATUSA program was developed during the Korean War as a temporary measure to cope with a shortage of personnel in the United States Army. This augmentation program is the only one of its kind in the United States Army.

  1. ^ "Abbreviations" (PDF). U.S. Department of State. 29 September 2006. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2009. KATUSA, Korean Augmentation To the United States Army