New US Forces Korea chief expected to take office in around June: sources
U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, left, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, walks with U.S. Army Lieutenant General Paul LaCamera commander of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, after landing in Baghdad, Iraq, February 17, 2019. REUTERS-Yonhap
Gen. Paul LaCamera is expected to take office as the new commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) around next month if his confirmation process goes smoothly, sources said Thursday.
LaCamera, who currently serves as Army Pacific Commander, was nominated to succeed Gen. Robert Abrams to lead the 28,500-strong USFK, and his nomination was referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee late last month for a confirmation hearing, according to the sources.
"The exact schedule for the hearing is yet to be fixed, but it is likely to take place within this month," a source said. "If the confirmation process continues without a hitch, he is expected to take office in around June."
LaCamera was initially nominated to the post in December by then U.S. President Donald Trump, but the nomination was sent back to the White House in January as it was not handled during the previous Congress.
Officials said there appears to have been some delays at the time of the government changes. The Current Congress began its term on Jan. 3, and President Joe Biden took office on Jan. 20.
Abrams, who is also at the helm of the United Nations Command and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, took office in November 2018, and the envisioned nomination is part of a routine reshuffle, though no official term of office is set for a USFK commander, according to military officials.
Since November last year, LaCamera has been in command of the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), which is the land forces component of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and encompasses such locations as South Korea, Japan, Hawaii and Guam. (Yonhap)