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

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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.

U.S. Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, speaks during a ceremony at U.S. Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Oct. 7, 2026, to mark the inauguration of U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robert S. "Todd" Brown as the commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division/ ROK-U.S. Combined Division. (Yonhap)

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

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华盛顿，10 月 21 日（韩联社）——据媒体周三报道，驻韩美军第八集团军司令表示，他的部队必须做好应对朝鲜半岛以外威胁的准备，并强调仅仅关注朝鲜半岛面临的威胁是“不负责任的”。

约瑟夫·希尔伯特中将在接受《南华早报》电子邮件采访时发表了上述言论，强调了美军对战略灵活性的重视。

据报道，希尔伯特表示，仅仅“目光短浅地”关注朝鲜半岛的威胁，或者“仅仅因为我们身处朝鲜就认为我们不能做其他事情”，都是“不负责任的”。

希尔伯特表示：“我们认为战备在很大程度上与威胁无关。如果我们拥有一支训练有素、随时待命的部队，能够执行陆军分配的任务，我们就可以运用这支部队应对任何需要应对的威胁。”

“因此，我们每天都与韩国盟友一起训练，对抗我们的主要威胁，同时也确保我们随时待命，满足国家的任何需求，”他补充道。

在这些言论发表之际，外界越来越关注华盛顿推动驻韩美军获得更大的战略灵活性，这可能允许驻韩美军执行朝鲜半岛以外的任务，并有可能集中精力威慑中国。

五角大楼1月份发布的《美国国防战略》强调了这一概念，该战略指出，韩国有能力承担威慑朝鲜的“主要”责任，而美国则提供“关键但更为有限”的支持——五角大楼表示，这一转变符合美国“更新”其在朝鲜半岛的军事部署的利益。

当被问及驻韩美军对更广泛的印太地区威慑的潜在贡献时，五角大楼重申了华盛顿根据双边共同防御条约保卫韩国的承诺。

一位五角大楼官员告诉韩联社：“美国仍然坚定致力于保卫韩国，并履行我们在《美韩共同防御条约》下的义务。”

这位官员补充说：“我们在韩国的部队仍然专注于保持战备状态，遏制侵略，并与韩国盟友一起保卫大韩民国。”

2026年10月7日，美国陆军第八集团军司令约瑟夫·希尔伯特中将在首尔以南平泽市的汉弗莱斯美军营出席仪式，庆祝美国陆军准将罗伯特·S·“托德”·布朗就任美韩联合第二步兵师师长。（韩联社）

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据报道，美国第八集团军司令强调已做好应对朝鲜半岛以外威胁的准备。