U.S. Eighth Army commander: “USFK is a global force that can be deployed against threats beyond the Korean Peninsula”

[Financial News]  

The commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea said the force can deploy troops against threats beyond the Korean Peninsula as well. The U.S. Eighth Army, headquartered at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, commands USFK’s ground forces.
The remarks came as USFK commander Xavier Brunson was expanding USFK’s role beyond deterring threats from North Korea to include defending Taiwan and countering China and Russia.
Joseph Hilbert, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, argued in an email interview with Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 21st (local time) that restricting USFK’s role to focusing only on threats within the Korean Peninsula was “shortsighted and irresponsible.” He added, “It is also irresponsible to argue that USFK cannot carry out other missions simply because it is stationed in South Korea.” He also said the U.S. Eighth Army should be ready to deploy beyond the Korean Peninsula if ordered.
The argument is that the U.S. military, while threatening to withdraw USFK and collecting enormous stationing costs from South Korea, should be ready to deploy to conflicts elsewhere at any time. The Donald Trump administration is seeking to have South Korea assume responsibility for deterring North Korea while giving USFK the strategic flexibility to respond to contingencies in the region at any time.
Commander Hilbert argued that although the U.S. Eighth Army focuses on fulfilling the U.S. defense commitment under the U.S.–South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty, its mission scope is not limited to the Korean Peninsula simply because it is stationed in South Korea.
He said the U.S. Eighth Army is “part of a ‘global force’ trained to deploy wherever national command authorities need it,” and that “any trained and ready unit capable of carrying out missions assigned by the Army can be deployed wherever needed to counter any threat.”
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