US Eighth Army Commander States Troops Must Be Ready for Missions Beyond Korean Peninsula

According to the South China Morning Post, the commander of the US Eighth Army in South Korea stated that his troops need to be prepared for missions outside the Korean peninsula if directed, arguing that it would be irresponsible to concentrate solely on threats present there.

Lieutenant General Joe Hilbert communicated to the South China Morning Post via email that although his command is tasked with meeting US obligations under the mutual defense treaty with Seoul, the Eighth Army's geographical placement does not restrict the types of missions it can undertake.

Hilbert advised that it would be irresponsible to adopt a narrow focus on the threats on the Korean peninsula alone, or to imply that other activities are impossible simply because the Eighth Army is situated in Korea.

Hilbert characterized the Eighth Army as a component of a "global force" that trains for readiness to allow deployment where the national command authority requires, citing the Eighth Army's involvement in multinational exercises throughout the Asia-Pacific as an illustration of its activities beyond the peninsula.