The Korean Service Corps Battalion (KSCB), also simply known as the Korean Service Corps (KSC), and formerly the Civilian Transportation Corps (CTC), is a flagged

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, commanded by a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. The battalion consists of 17 companies spread across the southern

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

to augment on-peninsula United States forces.

Mission

The primary role of the Civilian Transportation Corps, and later the Korean Service Corps, was to supplement

Eighth United States Army The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which commands all United States Army forces in South Korea. It is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys in the Anjeong-ri of Pyeongtaek, Pyeongtaek, South Korea.Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Since the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

that halted the Korean War to modern times, the KSC has aided the United States Army and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army in non-wartime operations and training exercises while providing materiel support. The KSC also serve as suppliers and auxiliary paramilitary forces for already on-peninsula U.S. Army forces until reinforcements arrive should another conflict between

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

break out.

History

In the second month of the Korean War, Eighth U.S. Army commander Lt. Gen. Walton H. Walker was faced by a severe shortage of strength and supplies along the Busan perimeter, and requested urgent backup from the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), which was later answered on the 25th of July, 1950, by then-

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

, with the signing of an emergency decree directing ROK Army forces to provide

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

supply carriers to

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...

units. Eventually these carriers were organized into a centralized commanded battalion as the Civilian Transportation Corps (CTC) on March 15, 1951. Under the direction of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

James Van Fleet General (United States), General James Alward Van Fleet (19 March 1892 – 23 September 1992) was a United States Army officer who served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised i ...

, the CTC was later renamed to the Korean Service Corps (KSC) on July 14, 1951.{{Cite web, last=Lee, first=Michael J., date=3 November 2014, title=The Korean Service Corps Battalion, url=https://www.army.mil/article/136437/the_korean_service_corps_battalion, access-date=20 August 2021, website=U.S. Army In modern times, The KSC has become known as the KSC Battalion and its 17 companies continue to be part of the U.S Army operating within the Korean Peninsula.

References

Military units and formations established in 1950 Military units of the United States Army in South Korea Service units and formations of the United States Army United States Army units and formations in the Korean War