May 14, 2025
Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, the four-star general who is commander of the UN Command, Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea, leads more than 600,000 military personnel (“a whole bunch,” is how he modestly acknowledged it). And yet he took the time to read the bios of the participants attending our roundtable discussion at the East-West Center — and greeted many of them personally.
Wow. A small but impressive detail that offered a sense of what kind of leader he is.
Gen. Lee Seo Young, South Korea’s consul general here, graciously provided welcome remarks. Timothy Martin of the Wall Street Journal was in town on assignment so we put him on the spot, too.
The inspiring and insightful private dialogue with Gen. Brunson, who shared his strategy of employing diplomacy as well as deterrence to address threats to security in Northeast Asia, was a great way to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the East-West Center, known as East-West Day.
Leading U.S. experts and former officials to identify actionable policy steps the White House and Congress should take to address the growing threat from North Korea.