U.S. 8th Army chief stresses readiness for threats beyond Korean Peninsula: report

By Chang Dong-woo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- The commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea has said his troops must be prepared to respond to threats beyond the Korean Peninsula, stressing that it would be "irresponsible" to focus solely on threats facing the peninsula, according to a media report Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert made the remarks in an email interview with the South China Morning Post, underscoring the U.S. military's emphasis on strategic flexibility.

Hilbert said it would be "irresponsible to focus myopically" on threats on the Korean Peninsula alone or to "suggest that we cannot do other things simply because we are in Korea," according to the report.

"We view readiness as largely threat-agnostic. If we have a trained, ready force capable of executing the Army's assigned missions, we can apply that force against whatever threat is required," Hilbert was quoted as saying.

"So, we train every day with our Korean allies against our principal threat, while also ensuring we remain available and ready for whatever the nation may require," he added.

The remarks come amid growing attention to Washington's push for greater strategic flexibility for U.S. Forces Korea, which could allow American troops stationed in South Korea to undertake missions beyond the peninsula to potentially focus on deterring China.

The concept was underscored in the U.S. National Defense Strategy released by the Pentagon in January, which stated that South Korea is capable of taking "primary" responsibility for deterring the North with "critical, but more limited" U.S. support -- a shift that the Pentagon says is in line with America's interest in "updating" U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula.

Asked about the potential contribution of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea to broader Indo-Pacific deterrence, the Pentagon reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defending South Korea under the bilateral mutual defense treaty.

"The United States remains firmly committed to the defense of the Republic of Korea and to fulfilling our obligations under the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty," a Pentagon official told Yonhap News Agency.

"Our forces in Korea remain focused on maintaining readiness, deterring aggression, and defending the Republic of Korea alongside our ROK allies," the official added.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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