The United States is set to create a second F-16 fighter aircraft “Super Squadron” in South Korea, maximizing combat capability to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
Newsweek has reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The U.S. has maintained a military presence in South Korea, one of its Northeast Asian treaty allies, since the combat operations of the Korean War ended in 1953, which serves as a deterrent against North Korea, one of the nine nuclear-armed countries, with 50 warheads.
Both the South Korean air force and American forces in the country operate the F-16, which is a high-demand fourth-generation fighter jet known as the Fighting Falcon. South Korea is the second largest F-16 user in the Western Pacific Ocean, having ordered a total of 180 jets.
What To Know
Osan Air Base, located to the south of the South Korean capital city of Seoul, will establish the second “Super Squadron” of the F-16 fighter jets in October, the U.S. Seventh Air Force, which is part of the larger U.S. forces stationed in the allied country, announced on Friday.
The first squadron was created in 2024 by relocating nine F-16 fighter jets from Kunsan Air Base to Osan Air Base, which originally had 22 Fighting Falcons. Kunsan Air Base will transfer an additional 31 fighter jets over the summer, forming the second squadron.
The second phase of the “Super Squadron” test, which will also involve the transfer of about 1,000 personnel to Osan Air Base from Kunsan Air Base, aims at examining the ability to increase combat force generation and maximize capability, according to the press release.
The establishment of another “super squadron” was approved after analysis of the first one, which showed that a “consolidated, larger unit” increased readiness and combat capability, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General David Iverson, Seventh Air Force commander, explained.
By consolidating the F-16 fighter aircraft at Osan Air Base, it will further determine “if the Super Squadron construct is the right path for future air power generation,” Iverson added.
NEWS: We’re standing up a second Super Squadron at Osan AB. This temporary change allows us to test and validate force generation capabilities on the Korean peninsula, ultimately fostering a more lethal, ready air component…No doubts that the ROK-U.S. alliance is ironclad! (1/2) pic.twitter.com/8etw0QcZIp
— General David Allvin (@OfficialCSAF) April 24, 2025
While most of its F-16 fighter jets are sent to Osan Air Base, Kunsan Air Base will maintain flightline operations and facilities, the Seventh Air Force said, serving as a primary exercise and rotational force bed-down location for America’s air component forces in South Korea.
What People Are Saying
General David Allvin, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said: “We’re standing up a second Super Squadron at Osan [Air Base]. This temporary change allows us to test and validate force generation capabilities on the Korean Peninsula, ultimately fostering a more lethal, ready air component…No doubts that the ROK-U.S. alliance is ironclad!”
ROK stands for Republic of Korea, which is the official name of South Korea.
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General David Iverson, Seventh Air Force commander, said: “This Super Squadron effort demonstrates our steadfast focus on readiness and combat capability to achieve U.S. national security objectives.”
The U.S. Seventh Air Force said: “Seventh Air Force remains committed to ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. The Super Squadron test has no impact on Seventh Air Force’s ability to employ air power to deter aggression and defend the Republic of Korea against any threat.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. military will deploy additional units to South Korea amid tensions with North Korea. The Pentagon has reinforced its air power in Japan, another U.S. treaty ally in Northeast Asia, by deploying stealth fighter jets and supersonic bombers.
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