Ranib, US 8th Army Commander, Steps Down... Brigadier General Sean Crockett Appointed Acting Commander

Lieutenant General LaNeve completes tenure as U.S. Eighth Army commander
Brigadier General Sean Crockett appointed as acting commander

Brigadier General Sean Crockett has been appointed as the acting commander of the U.S. Eighth Army.

The U.S. Eighth Army announced on the 16th that it held a change of command ceremony for Lieutenant General Christopher LaNeve at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys. Lieutenant General LaNeve served as the commander of the U.S. Eighth Army and chief of staff of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command since April last year and was recently nominated as the senior military advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Yonhap News

During the past year, Lieutenant General LaNeve led the U.S. Eighth Army's "Fight Tonight" mission, focusing on enhancing combat readiness alongside allied Republic of Korea Army and U.S. service members and their families. He oversaw the successful arrival and integration of two rotational combat brigades and spearheaded power modernization efforts including the digital integrated operational picture, integrated combat command systems, indirect fire protection capability, Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), and physical fitness enhancement programs.

He also led numerous infrastructure improvement projects aimed at enhancing regional medical accessibility for U.S. service members and their families, as well as improving the quality of welfare facilities on U.S. Forces Korea bases. Furthermore, Lieutenant General LaNeve is recognized for his continuous efforts to address manpower shortages in key occupational specialties across the entire U.S. Eighth Army.

Going forward, Lieutenant General LaNeve will serve as the senior military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, acting as the primary military liaison for the Secretary and representing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This position also involves coordinating policy-related matters with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commands, and external Department of Defense agencies.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Sean Crockett, appointed as the acting commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, previously served as the deputy commanding general for operations of the U.S. Eighth Army. The U.S. Eighth Army is the ground component command within U.S. Forces Korea, overseeing the majority of U.S. Army forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula. It is composed of six major subordinate units and several direct reporting units and supports the activities of rotational units on the peninsula.