The U.S. Ministry of National Defense has nominated Air Force Maj. Gen. David G. Shoemaker as deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea. The appointment presumes promotion to lieutenant general and is a key post overseeing the operation of air power on the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a news release on the 5th (local time) that President Donald Trump carried out personnel moves for major general officers and announced the nomination. The nominee, Shoemaker, will also serve as commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi and take on the roles of Air Component Command commander for the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command (UNC).
Shoemaker is currently serving at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command's 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central) and deputy commander of the Combined Air Operations Center. Based on operational experience in the Middle East, he is expected to be involved in the operation of air power on the Korean Peninsula.
The nominee, Shoemaker, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994 and is a veteran pilot with more than 2,000 flight hours in T-37, T-38, and F-16 series fighters. Notably, he served three tours at Gunsan Air Base in Korea and is considered well-versed in the operational environment on the Korean Peninsula. He served as chief of standardization and evaluation for the 8th Operations Group (2005-2006), director of operations for the 35th Fighter Squadron (2010-2011), and commander of the 8th Fighter Wing (2017-2018).
Meanwhile, U.S. general officer appointments are finalized after Senate confirmation.