(LEAD) Gen. Brunson to take office as new USFK chief this week: Pentagon

(ATTN: ADDS more info in 3rd para)
By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Yonhap) -- Gen. Xavier Brunson will assume office as the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) this week, the Pentagon press secretary said Thursday, reiterating the United States' "ironclad" commitment to the bilateral alliance.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder made the remarks, saying U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo will preside over the ceremony on Friday, where Gen. Paul LaCamera will turn over command of the 28,500-strong USFK to Brunson, former commander of First Corps.

The USFK commander also serves as commander of South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and United Nations Command.

"On behalf of Secretary Austin and the entire Department of Defense, we want to extend our thanks to Gen. LaCamera for his leadership and lifetime of service to our nation, and we salute Gen. Brunson as he takes command," Ryder told a press briefing.

"As you've heard us say our commitments to the U.S-ROK alliance remains ironclad," he added. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

In September, President Joe Biden nominated Brunson to lead USFK.

During his Senate confirmation hearing in September, Brunson described North Korea's "rapid" advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities as the "single greatest" challenge facing USFK, vowing to maintain a "constant" state of readiness.

His inauguration comes as Seoul and Washington have been stepping up cooperation to sharpen deterrence against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats, with Pyongyang shunning dialogue and deepening its military cooperation with Moscow.

Brunson has served in various key defense positions with both conventional and special operations forces, according to the Army. His operational assignments included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in human resource development from Webster University and a Master of Science degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

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