Who is that Black General Who Recently Met Sec. of State Tillerson in South Korea?

On March 17,  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Force Command and U.S. Forces Korea, after Japan held its first evacuation drill following the launch by North Korea of four ballistic missiles within 220 miles of the Japanese shoreline. North Korea’s actions were a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In this Friday, March 17, 2017 photo, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, is briefed by U.S. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea as a North Korean soldier, rear right, takes a photograph through a window at the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission meeting room at the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool, File)

Tillerson and Brooks met Gen. Vincent K. Brookswith South Korean officials and discussed international efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. Tillerson hinted at striking North Korea during a news conference. He also urged the Chinese, South Korean, and Japanese authorities to step up pressure on the communist country to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  As commander of the UN and U.S. forces in North Korea, Brooks is responsible for making sure that North Korean aggression is deterred, combat readiness is improved and South Korea is defended.

Brooks is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.  In his senior year he was selected to serve as the Cadet Brigade Commander of the U.S. Corps of Cadets—the highest military leadership position a cadet can hold at West Point.  He was the first Black person to be selected for that position.

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks leads UN and U.S. forces in Korea during a turbulent time with North Korea. (Courtesy Photo)

During his nearly 37 years as a commissioned officer, including 14 years as a general officer, Brooks commanded two infantry companies, an infantry battalion, a heavy brigade, two divisions, and two theater armies.  He has also served in many leadership positions, such as chief of operations spokesman for the United States Central Command during the Second Iraqi War in Doha, Qatar, and worked with “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom” campaigns during the Iraqi War.  

Brooks currently serves as the eighth Black four-star general in the U.S. Army.  During his service he has earned a Master’s of Military Art and Science degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army Command and General Staff College and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the New England School of Law in Boston.  He also served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and has been the recipient of numerous military medals including the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with three oak leaf clusters) and the Defense Superior Service Medal among others.  

Brooks’ promotion to brigadier general in 2004 along with the identical rank promotion of his older brother, Leo Jr., made the Brooks family the first Black family with three army generals, including their father, Leo Sr., who was a brigadier general in the army.

The Republic of Korea – U.S. Alliance is a partnership between South Korea and the U.S. forged during the Korean War in the 1950s. Because a peace treaty was never signed following the conflict with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea, the two nations are still technically at war.

Brooks has four priorities for the U.S. Alliance with South Korea, a partnership that provides stability on the ground for the Korean Peninsula and promotes economic success for the region.  The priorities include:

1. Sustain and strengthen the Alliance —  A strong Alliance serves as the basis of stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and across the region.
2. Maintain the Armistice — Be ready to “Fight Tonight” to deter and defeat aggression.  Through a series of three annual multinational, combined, and joint exercises the commander enhances military readiness.  
3. Transform the Alliance for the future as it becomes stronger and more capable.  
4. In order to sustain the force and enhance the command team, emphasis is placed on the importance of a healthy command climate.  

“We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers,” Brooks said.