The threat posed by North Korea is growing on more than one front, according to President Obama’s nominee to lead forces in the region.
“I believe that the foundation for anything that comes next is what we’re doing right now,” Army Gen. Vincent Brooks told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a confirmation hearing on Tuesday. “I would have to be among those, if confirmed, who provide options and alternatives of how military pressures could be used to try and change the calculus.”
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The Senate is considering whether to confirm Brooks as head of Combined Forces Command in South Korea. Brooks has commanded the U.S. Army in the Pacific since July 2013.
“I’m not prepared to say what those [options] would be,” Brooks said. The top concerns he pointed to include North Korea’s growing ability to perpetrate cyberattacks, as well as its development of long-range missile technology combined with nuclear ability.
In addition to intercontinental ballistic missiles, he said, the country is pursuing submarine-launched missiles. “While they have not been successful, this is like watching someone ride a bike and falling off of it, but eventually they could become a BMX champion,” Brooks said. “So we can’t underestimate the hazard that is emerging on this.”
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He added that U.S. troop availability was being constrained by budget cuts. “I have a concern that there is a shallowing of the depth of the forces [available] to reinforce,” Brooks said, adding that if it persists, “I think we’re going to continue to lose options that would be available in a time of crisis.”
If confirmed, Brooks will succeed Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who is set to lead U.S. European Command and be NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe.
