In an e-mail interview with the South China Morning Post published on Wednesday, Eighth Army commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert said it would be "irresponsible to focus myopically" on threats on the Korean Peninsula alone, signaling that the mission of U.S. forces in South Korea could extend beyond deterring North Korea.
Describing the Eighth Army as part of a "global force," he said, "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."
He cited the Eighth Army's participation in multinational exercises across the Asia-Pacific as an example of broader role.
He added that while its focus was on fulfilling U.S. commitments under the mutual defense treaty with Seoul, its location did not limit the missions it could undertake, saying it would be irresponsible to assume "we cannot do other things simply because we are in [South] Korea."
His remarks come as Washington seeks to give U.S. forces greater flexibility to respond to regional contingencies across the Indo-Pacific including those involving China.
This evolving approach is also reflected in the U.S. National Defense Strategy released in January, which called for allies to assume greater responsibility for regional security while allowing greater strategic flexibility for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), whose troops could be deployed to respond to contingencies elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, in addition to their primary mission of deterring North Korea.
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