Tag: Vincent Brooks

This really isn’t anything surprising that the new USFK commander is signaling to North Korea that he would like to resume dialogue in regards to any armistice issues like has been done in the past:

The new commander of the United States military forces in South Korea said Thursday he expects resumption of talks and coordination with North Korea during his first visit to the frontline region separating the two sides.

The Joint Security Area (JSA), the inter-Korean truce village where South and North Korean soldiers are standing face-to-face, was the choice for Gen. Vincent Brooks’ first field inspection as the top commander of the 28,000-strong U.S. Forces Korea.

“Each time I come back (here), it reminds me of how quickly things can change on the Korean Peninsula and why it is that we must be ready all the time and remain strong,” Brooks, who took command last month, said in front of an observation post inside the JSA. The officer had served in South Korea in the past during his long military career.

“It also reminds me that as we are in the military armistice controlled areas, there’s a need to continue dialogue and coordination (with North Korea),” the general, clad in a combat uniform, noted.

“We look forward to the time that (talks) can resume again,” he said, expressing hopes on talks with the North on the context of the armistice which ended the 1950-53 Korean War. [Yonhap]

Anything that goes beyond Armistice talks would fall within the purview of the State Department which has made it clear that talks will only happen when North Korea is serious about denuclearization.

Army Gen. Lee Sun-jin (L), chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, talks with Gen. Vincent Brooks, the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea as they inspect a honor guard during a ceremony at the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Seoul on May 10, 2016, to welcome the U.S. military leader, who also heads the command. (Yonhap)

Over the weekend USFK had a change of command with General Vincent Brooks taking over for General Scaparrotti.  Being the prior US Army Pacific Commander he should be well familiar with all North Korea issues so I expect this should be an easy transition for USFK:

Gen. Vincent Brooks warned of rising challenges as he took the helm of U.S. Forces in Korea on Saturday, while North Korea reportedly called joint military exercises in the South “tantamount to an open declaration of war.”

 

In a ceremony at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan’s Knight Field, Brooks took over from Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who will become the next commander of U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander for NATO forces.

 

The change of command came as the U.S. and its ally South Korea face unprecedented threats from the North, which staged its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch that prompted harsh new U.N. sanctions.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

This is something i have discussed before that the cost sharing of troops in South Korea actually saves money for the Pentagon compared to keeping the same troops in the US.  What else that can’t be calculated is how many US jobs are generated due to the large amount of defense equipment bought by the ROK because of its close military relationship with the US.  Like I have maintained, if politicians want to criticize about freeloading US allies I am all for it, but South Korea is a poor choice to try and make this claim with:

The four-star Army general picked to lead American forces in Korea says it’s less expensive to keep U.S. troops stationed in South Korea than in the United States.

In testimony Tuesday, Gen. Vincent Brooks tallied up the financial load South Korea carries in what amounted to a rebuke of Donald Trump, the GOP’s front-running presidential contender.

Trump has called for U.S. allies to pay more for their own defense.

John McCain of Arizona, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, prompted Brooks’ answers.

Brooks says South Korea pays half of the annual cost, or $808 million, for U.S. troops to be stationed on the peninsula.

The general says South Korea is paying for 92 percent of a $10.8 billion construction project to build a base for U.S. troops.  [Associated Press]

The man behind the “Pacific Pathways” program which has seen the US Army expand operations throughout the Pacific region has been selected to be the next USFK commander:

Carter also has named Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, if confirmed by the Senate, to be commander of U.S. Forces Korea. Brooks now is commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, Pacom’s Army component.

The command has administrative control over all U.S. Army forces in the Pacom area of responsibility and provides forces and performs theater security programs with 36 countries from the Asia-Pacific regions of Alaska, Japan and Korea.

Carter said U.S. Forces Korea “is part of U.S. Pacific Command, but is a major political military command, a place where we need our very best, and Vince is that, and also an officer with tremendous operational and managerial experience.”  [Defense.gov]

You can read the rest at the link.