The top US commander in South Korea may leave his post as early as this summer amid concerns over the lack of seasoned Korea experts in Washington following a series of shake-up inside the Trump administration.
Citing multiple government sources, local daily JoongAng Ilbo reported Wednesday that Gen. Vincent Brooks, would leave the US Army in July or August after serving about two years as the commander of the US Forces in South Korea and US-South Korea Combined Forces Command.
Gen. Vincent Brooks. Yonhap
Among those being considered to succeed Brooks are Gen. Robert B. Brown, commanding general of the US Army Pacific, a position that Brooks held before coming to South Korea in April 2016, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Most USFK commanders leave the service after serving at least two years. The most recent exception was Brook’s predecessor Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who was promoted to the commander of US European Command in 2016.
Scaparrotti’s predecessor James Thurman served as the USFK commander between 2011 and 2013 and Thurman’s predecessor Walter Sharp assumed the post from 2008 to 2011. The former US Army generals are now being considered as candidates to be the next US ambassador in Seoul.
(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)