Seoul, Korea

June, 1949

With the conclusion of Korean elections, the end of the United States Army Military Government in Korea was at hand. As part of a stepped draw-down of American occupation forces in Korea, and at the urging of the nascent Korean government, the US Army has established Military Assistance Advisory Group, Korea. MAAG-K is a flagship program for military advisement. It will be placed under the command of Brigadier General William K. Harrison, Jr., a skilled and experienced officer split off from General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Tokyo, Japan.

MAAG-K's primary objective will be to provide for the rapid training and equipping of the Republic of Korea Army. For these purposes the ROKA will be organized into two corps of three infantry divisions, modeled after the US Army's infantry divisions. Each division will consist of three infantry regiments equipped with regimental anti-tank companies and regimental mortar companies. Each division will also have a divisional artillery regiment, consisting of three battalions of 12 105mm howitzers and one battalion of 155mm howitzers. Appropriate complements of support companies will also be trained, including engineers, medical, reconnaissance, anti-aircraft, and signals companies.

For these purposes, transferred to the control of MAAG-K from postwar surplus (alongside associated ammunition) will be:

• 300x 105mm M101 Howitzers
• 100x 155mm M59 Howitzers
• 200x M4 Artillery Tractors
• 300x 57mm M-1 Anti-Tank Guns
• 5000x M1 Anti-Tank Landmines
• 20,000x M1 Garand Rifles
• 10,000x M1A1 Thompson SMGs
• 5,000x M1919 Browning ARs
• 2,000x Bofors 40mm L/60 AAA
• 1,000x M2 90mm AAA

Additionally, MAAG-K will be charged with the creation of a Korean mechanized brigade to serve as a template for future mechanized brigades in the ROKA, organized into three regiments composed of mechanized infantry, reconnaissance, and anti-tank battalions. For these purposes, the Department of Defense will transfer to MAAG-K:

• 2,000x M3 Half-track
• 500x M18 Hellcat
• 200x M8 Greyhound
• 5,000x M3 Grease Guns
• 10,000x M1 Carbines

MAAG-K will draw the first 1,000 trainers from USAMGIK personnel due to depart the Korean Peninsula on a volunteer basis. An additional complement of 1,000 personnel will be drawn from the US occupation forces in Japan or from the continental United States. The operation will be greenlit for two years upon which it will come up for review by the Department of Defense.