Robert Brown takes command of US-South Korean combined division

Brig. Gen. Robert ‘Todd’ S. Brown took command of the US Army’s 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-US Combined Division on October 7 at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, putting a permanent commander in charge after an interim period that began in July. The division brings American and South Korean soldiers together in a shared headquarters, making the handover significant for a formation built around the two countries’ military cooperation.

The Army said Brown became the division’s 90th commanding general at a ceremony at Robertson Field. Yonhap News Agency reported that Brig. Gen. Jason Rosenstrauch had served as acting commanding general since July 24 and that Brown took command from him. The Army described Brown as succeeding Maj. Gen. Charles T. Lombardo, who relinquished command that day; its October account did not explain the interim arrangement.

What changed at Camp Humphreys

The change places Brown in command of the combined division after Lombardo’s departure and Rosenstrauch’s period as acting commander, as reported by Yonhap. Camp Humphreys is in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul. The Army identified Robertson Field on the base as the site of the October 7 ceremony.

Brown said he understood ‘the power of our alliance’ and called taking command of the division ‘the honor of a lifetime.’ Both the Army and Yonhap reported his remarks. The statements set out his view of the appointment but do not, on their own, establish a change in the division’s operations.

How the combined division works

The Army calls the formation its only forward-deployed combined division. It says American and Republic of Korea soldiers serve in a shared headquarters intended to improve coordination and understanding between the forces. An Army account published when Lombardo left command also described soldiers working alongside Korean Army personnel and members of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, known as KATUSA.

According to the Army, the division organizes its work around four priorities: readiness, combined cooperation, modernization and people. Its October account links those priorities to realistic training, equipment readiness, leadership and cohesive teams. The same account says support for soldiers, civilians and families, along with relationships with local communities, forms part of sustaining the force in Korea. These are the Army’s descriptions of the unit’s mission and approach, rather than reported results from Brown’s new command.

The command transition since July

Lombardo relinquished command in a ceremony at Camp Humphreys on July 24. The Army’s account of his departure described realistic training and cooperation between US and South Korean forces as themes of his command. It said the division had conducted combined and joint exercises during his tenure. Yonhap’s account of Brown’s arrival fills in the subsequent leadership period by identifying Rosenstrauch as acting commanding general from July 24.

The different descriptions address different parts of the succession: the Army names Lombardo as the preceding permanent commander, while Yonhap identifies Rosenstrauch as the acting commander from whom Brown assumed command. The reports do not spell out the formal steps of that interim transfer. They agree on the central development: Brown assumed command on October 7.

The Army traces the division’s service in Korea to the Korean War. In its July account, it quoted Lombardo recalling the division’s arrival on the peninsula 76 years earlier and its operations alongside South Korean counterparts during the Pusan Perimeter campaign. That history is part of the context for the Army’s emphasis on combined service at the new commander’s ceremony.