Some U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea will now serve two-year tours.

According to an Army memo dated August 1, certain U.S. soldiers assigned to South Korea will now serve longer tours.

The memo states that “single soldiers without dependents” will now have a 24-month accompanied tour, instead of the previous unaccompanied one-year tour. This change affects specific military occupational specialties, including air traffic control operators (15Q), UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter repairers (15T), military dog handlers (31K), criminal investigations special agents (31D), counterintelligence agents (35L), signal intelligence analysts (35N), and criminal investigation division special agents (311A).

Soldiers with these specialties, who have no dependents, are not married to other service members, and are on permanent change-of-station orders to South Korea, will be required to serve the 24-month accompanied tour.

This policy change does not apply to soldiers assigned to the defense attaché system, security cooperation organizations, or positions in South Korea without an approved accompanied tour. It also does not affect those already on orders or currently stationed in South Korea before August 1, according to an Army spokesperson.

“This will impact between 100 to 200 soldiers in the specified occupational specialties,” said U.S. Army spokesman Christopher Surridge.

The extension is intended to enhance readiness in these specialties, which require extensive training and certification before soldiers can be fully mission-capable.

“For these seven occupations, the extended time is needed to complete training and certification,” Surridge explained.

U.S. troops first arrived in South Korea on July 1, 1950, in response to North Korea’s invasion during the Korean War. The U.S. has maintained a military alliance with South Korea since then to help deter regional conflict, according to the Department of Defense.

As of 2023, approximately 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, according to the Congressional Research Service.