AUSA chief confident about alliance's future 'whoever' wins in November US election

A retired U.S. Army general has expressed confidence over the future of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, stressing that nobody would be "foolish enough" to undermine it "whoever" wins in the U.S. presidential election in November.

Robert Brown, the president of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), made the remarks on Tuesday, amid speculation that depending on the election outcome, America's policy approach toward the alliance could undergo a shift.

The White House race has shaped up to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, while South Korea and other allies have been paying keen attention to their respective campaigns due to potential policy implications.

"In my mind, there's no way anybody would be foolish enough to, in any way, hurt the strong alliance that exists to protect the Korean Peninsula," Brown, a former U.S. Army Pacific commander, said in an interview with the South Korean press corps arranged by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

"Whoever is elected, I can't imagine that they would think it would be a good idea to disrupt something that for 70-plus years has preserved peace, and it is the best chance of preserving peace in the future," he added.

With Trump being the presumptive Republican nominee, concerns have persisted that his transactional approach to alliances, as seen during his presidency from 2017-2021, could cause tensions with allies.

Further deepening concerns was Trump's stump speech last month, in which he said that if reelected, he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to "delinquent" North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members that fail to meet their defense spending commitments.

Recalling his recent dinner meeting with U.S. military leaders, Brown highlighted the common thread running through the meeting: an "unbelievable" bond between South Korea and the U.S.

"As we started talking, we realized ... our fathers had fought in the Korean War," he said. "(The fathers) had shed blood together with our close allies, and this is a bond that is unbelievable."

Brown went on to emphasize that that bond is not going to go away "by some political, foolish mistakes."

Casting the bilateral alliance as being "critical" to peace on the peninsula and in the broader Indo-Pacific region, he said that "there is no question" about the value of the longstanding partnership.

"I think it's absolutely key that the alliance is what prevents (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un from doing something stupid and trying to cause a war or conflict, or harm in any way," he said.

"I truly believe I can't imagine anyone — based on politics or anything else — not seeing the value of that alliance in the peace and stability on the peninsula."

The AUSA president underlined the need to do "everything" to ensure North Korea does not have any nuclear capability at all, when asked to comment on U.S. officials' recent focus on "interim steps" toward Pyongyang's denuclearization.

The mention of "interim" steps raised concerns among some observers that Washington could focus more on the nuclear non-proliferation than on the long-term goal of the North's denuclearization. In the negotiation lexicon, interim steps usually involve the North's nuclear freeze in return for sanctions relief or other incentives.

"There is a lot of different talks going on on policy and methods," he said. "But I don't see anybody in a policy that would support a nuclear North Korea having that capability."

Drawing a lesson from Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, Brown stressed the need for cooperation among the U.S. and its allies to strengthen the defense industrial base through the co-development and co-production of defense products.

"You've got to cooperate and work with others and co-development and co-production is really the future because it is the biggest fear of the authoritarian regimes that would want more power and want to go after democratic and free nations and disrupt a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said.

He also highlighted the importance of compatibility among the allies' military platforms.

"The more the equipment is compatible, the better it is as you work as allies and partners," he said. "That is the key to security in the future."

Brown, moreover, underscored the "critical" importance of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan and voiced his hope for its expansion to include other countries to promote regional security.

"I would expand that to other allies that the U.S. has, like Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, India and so on," he said. "That is the best chance at maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and in deterring conflict." (Yonhap)