U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks through the 2026 Honolulu Protection Discussion board held in Hawaii from Jan. 12-13 (native time). Courtesy of USFK
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson has acknowledged the “centrality” of Korea within the U.S. safety technique within the Indo-Pacific, noting the way it hosts “the one United States forces assigned to the Asian continent contained in the First Island Chain.”
Brunson made the remarks throughout a closed-door dialogue themed “Korea as Strategic Key Terrain Throughout Competitors, Disaster, and Battle” held as a part of the Honolulu Protection Discussion board, hosted by Pacific Discussion board, which passed off within the namesake U.S. metropolis from Monday by Tuesday, in response to excerpts of the commander’s remarks shared by the USFK on Friday.
“I feel that there is a recognition now of the centrality of Korea and of the peninsula,” he stated, when requested about views that assess the army instructions in Korea as being remoted from different regional safety points.
“Once we moor ourselves to the peninsula, when that mythology is allowed to live on, what we do is we current much less dilemmas to the adversaries of the area,” he stated. “We present ourselves to be much less in a position and fewer succesful to venture energy from the peninsula.”
The USFK commander’s remarks got here as Washington has urged Seoul and different regional allies to contribute to safeguarding the First Island Chain, which stretches from Japan by Taiwan to the Philippines and is seen as a key perimeter for America’s preeminence towards China within the area.
In opposition to such a backdrop, Brunson highlighted “the potential that exists from that place, by advantage of the power of the ally who we serve alongside day-after-day” and famous the potential of the mixed protection posture as “unimaginable,” in response to the USFK.
On the sidelines of the discussion board, the USFK commander held bilateral talks with Japanese Protection Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Gen. Romeo Brawner, chief of employees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to debate regional safety points.
Brunson has underscored the potential of a “strategic triangle” amongst Korea, Japan and the Philippines for regional safety cooperation within the so-called east-up map, which places the east on the high slightly than commonplace north-up mapping.
He has famous how the three nations are every geared up with distinctive capabilities — Korea’s central depth, Japan’s technological benefit and maritime attain, and the Philippines’ entry to key southern sea lanes.
