500th MI Bde. hosts ROKA representatives

Col. William Mangan (left), commander, 500th MI Bde., points out former brigade commanders to Maj. Gen. Jong-Soo Yang (right), chief of intelligence and operations, ROKA, during a tour of the brigade’s command hallway at Schofield Barracks, July 25.

Story and photo by
Staff Sgt. David Padilla
500th Military Intelligence Brigade Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The 500th Military Intelligence Brigade hosted a command briefing to members of the Republic of Korea Army, or ROKA, intelligence and operations section at the brigade’s conference room, here, July 25.

The briefing marked the first opportunity for Col. William Mangan, commander, 500th MI Bde., to engage with allies of a foreign military service since taking command July 17.

ROKA representatives visited the brigade as part of a U.S. Army-Pacific-hosted visit focused on enhancing U.S.-ROKA interoperability.

“This was a great opportunity to team up with USARPAC intelligence and the 25th Infantry Division intelligence to enhance relationships with key leaders from the ROKA intelligence and operations,” Mangan said.

Before the briefing, Mangan provided ROKA representatives history on the brigade and cited some of the brigade’s past commanders. After completing the command hallway tour, Mangan presented a command brief to ROKA representatives to communicate the brigade’s core competencies and operational capabilities.

The briefing provided the ROKA team a better understanding of the brigade and is the stepping stone for possible future collaborations.

“We hope to cultivate a relationship with ROKA in the immediate future by responding to questions they have in reference to how we fight and lessons we have learned,” Mangan said. “I expect we will grow that relationship in conjunction with our fellow military intelligence brigade in South Korea in ways that allow for greater interoperability between U.S. and ROKA intelligence organizations.”

Tags: 25th Infantry Division (ID), 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, featured, full-image, joint training, U.S. Army-Pacific (USARPAC)

Category: News