General Robert Abrams
Commander, U.S. Forces Korea
Robert Bruce “Abe” Abrams was born in November 1960 in Germany. He comes from a family of career military officers. His father was a former Army Chief of Staff. He graduated from the United States Military Academy with an undergraduate science degree. He earned a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College. He has also had advanced education courses through the military.
During his years of active service, Abrams has held command and staff positions across the Army and Joint Community in Germany, the United States, Southwest Asia, and the Republic of Korea. He has been active in Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Abrams was the commander of Regional Command South in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
He has been a Strategic War Planner for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of the Joint Center of Excellence for IED Defeat, a subordinate of the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency.
He has been commander of U.S. Forces Korea since November 2018.
In the News…
According to data from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, the U.S. military has left unspent nearly 68 billion worth (about $60 million) in South Korean funds provided over the past six years as part of defense burden-sharing agreements.
The information raises the stakes as talks over a new contract known as the Special Measures Agreement have deadlocked due to U.S. demands that Seoul sharply increase its contribution for stationing some 28,500 American troops on the divided peninsula.
The figure represents about 12.5 percent of the total for six years. All the money allocated for local labor was used. Most of the unspent funds were earmarked for military facilities improvement and logistics support.
U.S. Forces Korea said it was working with the Ministry of National Defense to reconcile former Special Measures Agreement contributions.
