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On June 28, 2011, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to consider nominations, including the nomination of General James D. Thurman, USA, for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Commander, United Nations Command/ Combined Forces Command/ United States Forces Korea. Advanced Policy Questions for General Thurman is available here. A webcast of the hearing is available here. Transcript of the hearing is available here.

Questions were asked by Sen. McCain, Sen. Lieberman, Sen. Portman, Sen. Begich, and Sen. Levin. 

Vice Admiral William H. McRaven and Lieutenant General John R. Allen also testified at the hearing.  Their testimony is not relevant to the DPRK and therefore is not presented on this website. 

Senator Carl Levin (Chairman) (minutes 21:00 – 21:55) In his opening statement, Sen. Levin referred to “simmering tension on Korean Peninsula” and referred to North Korea as “an international pariah.” Sen. Levin said that the alliance between the United States and South Korea, the strongest the two nations have ever had, is key to deal with North Korea’s unpredictable behaviors.

Senator John McCain (28:08 – 30:07) In his opening statement, Sen. McCain said that the U.S and ROK alliance had never been better, nor stronger but that “The situation on peninsula had rarely been as dangerous as it is today.” Sen. McCain said that it is clear that South Korea will not “turn the other cheek” to a North Korean provocative behavior, and that this has serious implications to the United States as a treaty ally with South Korea. While the U.S. will remain steadfast, in this context, the Committee needs to “take a hard look at” decisions regarding force realignment and tour normalization.

 General James D. Thurman (34:10 – 36:34) Gen. Thurman testified that if confirmed, he would work closely with the Committee and the ROK to address challenges and opportunities that the United States and South Korea face together on the “strategically important Korean Peninsula.” Gen. Thurman emphasized that he would sustain strong ties with “our Korean partner.”

Senator John McCain (61:26 – 62:50): In his first question, Sen. McCain mentioned the Committee’s serious concerns about the high cost of base re-alignment, and called for Gen. Thurman to work closely on the issues if confirmed. Sen. McCain referred to a recent public report saying that a North Korean ship that was been heading for Burma (turned around by the U.S. navy) had nuclear technology on board. Sen. McCain asked Gen. Thurman to elaborate. Gen. Thurman answered he was aware of UNSCRs 1718 and 1864 [sic] aimed at stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction from the DPRK. Gen. Thurman added that he believed it was important for the United States to monitor North Korean ships carefully, and such concerns should be addressed through a “whole-of-government” approach.     

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (69:14 – 71:53): Sen. Lieberman called this the “most dangerous time in quite a while” and referred to President Lee’s statement that South Korea would respond “in measure” to any further provocations by North Korea. Sen. Lieberman raised his concerns regarding China’s “pattern of aggressive behavior,” especially on issues of extending territory sovereignty. He asked Gen. Thurman to share his reflections on the “state of mind” of the leadership of China and North Korea. Gen. Thurman called Kim Jong-Il as an “unpredictable leader” who uses “coercive diplomacy” to protect his nuclear capability. Gen. Thurman added that considering the overall political, diplomatic, economic situations in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il is likely to continue the cycle of provocations. Gen. Thurman said it was important for the United States to keep a robust alliance with the ROK in a “responsible manner,” but that it is also important to maintain close relations with China in dealing with North Korea and he and his PACOM (United States Pacific Command) colleagues will assess the U.S. security posture on the Korean peninsula.

Senator Rob Portman (110:03 – 111:46):  Sen. Portman asked what role the United States should play if South Korea responds to a North Korean provocation. Gen. Thurman answered that it would be important for the United States to maintain a strong presence on the Korean Peninsula, to work closely with ROK military carrying out military exercises and trainings, and to maintain its alliance with the ROK and to review its own forces. 

Senator Mark Begich (115:10 – 118:10): In his first question, Sen. Begich referred to the decision to delay the transition of operational control to South Korea until 2015 and asked how this additional time would affect the transition. Gen. Thurman said that the extended time would allow the two countries to reach well-defined milestones that would result in a successful transition. In his second question, Sen. Begich asked if Gen. Thurman is confirmed, was Gen. Thurman willing to re-examine current plans for tour normalization; Gen. Thurman said yes, and referred to proposed [authorization] legislation regarding tour normalization.

Sen. Carl Levin (Chairman) (151:11 – 155:07): Sen. Levin referred to the three major transformation plans that were currently underway— the Yongsang Relocation Plan, the Land Partnership Plan, and the Tour Normalization Plan. Sen. Levin asked for Gen. Thurman to review the plans, rationales, and the cost and report the results to the Committee to assess. Gen. Thurman said he would do that. Sen. Levin’s second question was about the decision-making process between the US military and ROK military. Gen. Thurman answered that the decision making process should be balanced between the two countries since the ROK is a sovereign country.

                                                                                                                                Last Updated July 5, 2011