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Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson, the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, speaks during his speech during an event honoring U.S. troops killed during the Korean War at the West Point Memorial Park of Korea Military Academy in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Korea Military Academy

Commander of 8th US Army vows to maintain combat readiness

By Jung Min-ho

A top U.S. military officer in South Korea said the two allies should be the example of "peace through strength" in a speech at the Korea Military Academy event honoring the U.S. troops killed during the Korean War (1950-53).

Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson, the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, said South Korea and the U.S. should remember the great sacrifices of those who perished while defending democracy and freedom and honor their legacy by ensuring to protect the values with a strong alliance and defense posture.

"It may be more important now than it (the alliance) has been since the end of the Korean War. We must be the example of peace through strength," Burleson said at the West Point Memorial Park of the school in northern Seoul. "We must remember those who perished, their families as well as countless Korean and U.S. soldiers who gave their lives."

His remarks come amid mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats. On Thursday, the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea and then flew 12 warplanes within close proximity of the inter-Korean border, two days after firing an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japanese territory. Its latest provocations have prompted the South, the U.S. and Japan to conduct joint military drills.

Burleson said the fallen heroes of the Korean War would be "incredibly proud" if they were able to see what South Korea has become today.

"Their sacrifices were worth it and we must honor their legacy by ensuring we maintain our readiness and strong defense," he said. "Our shared values are the foundation that has been built by our predecessors and it is our duty to ensure that we protect our way of life and honor those who come before us by ensuring that we maintain the day to day readiness of our ROK (South Korea) and U.S. forces."

It was the day South Korea and the U.S. began another round of a two-day joint exercise in the waters east and south of the peninsula. USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Chancellorsville, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, are among the key U.S. maritime assets joining South Korea's Munmu the Great and the Donghae frigate for scenario-based training, such as escorting the Reagan to waters southeast of Jeju Island.

"As part of the efforts to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence, the Reagan strike group is conducting another joint drill. We will continue to strengthen our operation capabilities and defense posture against any type of threat from North Korea," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup speaks during a meeting with Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Defense

The same day, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, at the ministry's headquarters, where they vowed a stern response to North Korea's dangerous behavior. They said such provocations only unite the two allies closer.

Threats from North Korea have also brought South Korea and Japan closer, despite growing political voices against the move.

In the morning, high-level military officers of the three countries had talks over the phone in which they agreed to improve cooperation and discussed "concrete ways" to respond to the North, which has tested its missiles and other weapons at an unprecedented pace this year. They also committed to support their respective ministers in the next trilateral ministerial meeting on a mutually determined future date.

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, center, participates in a joint anti-submarine drill with South Korea and Japan in waters off South Korea's eastern coast, Sept. 30. Courtesy of Ministry of Defense

The previous day, the three nations conducted a second round of a trilateral exercise in the waters east of the peninsula, with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force deploying guided-missile destroyers JS Chokai and JS Ashigara.

The collaboration has become the target of criticism by liberal lawmakers during the National Assembly audit, in which they expressed worries over the possibility that it might lead to a trilateral military alliance, a politically sensitive and unpopular idea in South Korea due to the history of Japan's colonial rule of the peninsula (1910-45).

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