US commander prefers diplomacy over military action

By Jun Ji-hye

The head of the U.S. Pacific Command said Tuesday that diplomatic efforts were the preferred means over military actions to resolve tension caused by North Korea’s threats on the Korean Peninsula.

Adm. Harry Harris, however, stressed that such diplomatic efforts should be supported by powerful military capabilities.

“The most important starting point is a diplomatic starting point,” Adm. Harris said during a joint press conference held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. “We hope and we work for a diplomatic solution to challenges presented by Kim Jong-un.”

The U.S. commander in charge of the Asia-Pacific region noted, “A strong diplomatic effort backed by a strong military effort is key because credible combat power should be in support of diplomacy and not the other way around.”

The press conference was also attended by Gen. John Hyten who leads the Strategic Command and Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves who heads the Missile Defense Agency as well as Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

From the South Korean side, CFC Deputy Commander Gen. Kim Byeong-joo attended.

The key U.S. military commanders are visiting South Korea to observe the allies’ annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, which started Monday and will run until Aug. 31.

Their rare visit followed a recent exchange of bellicose rhetoric between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim, who threatened to fire ballistic missiles toward Guam in response to Trump’s warning that the North could face “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

The UFG exercise is also the first major combined drill by Seoul and Washington since Pyongyang launched alleged intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), July 4 and 28.

Adm. Harris noted that a scheduled “operational pause” by the U.S. Navy worldwide would not affect Washington’s ability to defend its Asian ally. An order for the pause was issued after the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided east of Singapore, Monday.

Regarding the North’s repeated criticism of the Seoul-Washington exercises, Gen. Brooks made it clear that the allies will continue to carry out such drills until “we have a reason not to.”

“These exercises are very important,” Gen. Brooks said. “We have the military responsibility providing military options to our national leaders, and exercises are a way of making sure the options are a ready option and a capable option.”

Gen. Hyten demonstrated confidence in the U.S. missile defense capability, vowing to provide all capabilities to Seoul as “a supporting commander to Gen. Brooks” who commands the CFC.

Earlier in the day, Adm. Harris met with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo to discuss ways of enhancing the two countries’ joint defense posture.

The JCS said Adm. Harris and Gen. Jeong shared the need for maintaining cooperation between the U.S. Pacific Command and the JCS to better deter North Korean threats.

“The ongoing combined exercise is a symbol of the ironclad Seoul-Washington alliance and their firm defense posture,” Jeong said, according to the JCS.

About 17,500 U.S. service members are participating in the UFG exercise this time with about 3,000 coming from installations outside South Korea, according to the Pentagon. The number has been decreased by 7,500 compared to last year.

Seoul has mobilized 50,000 troops for the drill, according to sources.

Defense officials here earlier said Seoul was in talks with Washington on the dispatch of U.S. strategic weapons to the exercise such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, but there were no reports of such dispatches as of Tuesday.

Adm. Harris refused to elaborate on the U.S. military’s plan, saying it would be “crazy for me to share” such a plan with reporters in advance.

“If we did that, then it would be hardly be a military strategy,” he said.