Joseph Hilbert, commander of the US Eighth Army, stated that troops stationed in South Korea must be prepared to carry out missions outside the Korean Peninsula as directed.
In an email interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on October 21, Hilbert said, "Focusing solely on threats within the Korean Peninsula is irresponsible."
He explained that the Eighth Army is committed to fulfilling the United States' defense obligations under the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty. However, he emphasized that being stationed in South Korea does not limit the unit's mission scope to the peninsula.
Hilbert described the Eighth Army as part of a global force trained to be deployed wherever national command authorities require. He cited participation in multinational exercises in the Asia-Pacific region as an example of operations extending beyond the Korean Peninsula.
His remarks underscore the importance of the US military's "strategic flexibility" to respond to various crises in the region while carrying out its deterrence mission against North Korea.
The Trump administration had previously indicated that South Korea should take on greater responsibility for deterring North Korea, while US forces would operate flexibly in the region. The National Defense Strategy (NDS) released in January of this year also assessed that South Korea has the capability to take primary responsibility for deterring North Korea under more limited US support.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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