U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, the outgoing leader of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during his change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera bid farewell Friday to the 28,500 troops he led in South Korea and urged them to “remain vigilant” against threats from North Korea and other potential adversaries who threatened “the international rules-based order.”

In his final speech before retiring from his post as commander of USFK, LaCamera reminded the troops that this “land has been sanctified with the blood of countless sons and daughters.”

LaCamera is retiring after 39 years of service. He is succeeded by Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, who promised to build on the “principles of collective security.”

U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, the new leader of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during his change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

“United we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge,” Brunson said at the change-of-command ceremony. “I pledge to serve with humility, respect and an unyielding commitment to our shared mission.”

The commander of USFK also leads the U.N. Command and the Combined Forces Command.

Since the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea has transformed into “a thriving nation that can stand as a beacon of freedom and prosperity,” LaCamera told an audience of roughly 500 people outside the command’s headquarters.

“But this growth did not come free of cost,” he added.

More than 33,700 U.S. troops died in combat during the Korean War, according to the U.S. Defense Casualty Analysis system.

The four-star general advised troops to “continue training daily” and that “complacency is our greatest adversary.”

“Readiness is perishable,” he said. “You need to hone it … each and every day.”

LaCamera took command of USFK on July 2, 2021. Prior to that, he led the Hawaii-based U.S. Army Pacific and XVIII Airborne Corps in Fort Liberty, N.C.

A native of Westwood, Mass., he was commissioned an infantry officer after graduating from West Point in 1985.

U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, the outgoing leader of U.S. Forces Korea, passes the guidon to Adm. Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

A pair of AH-64 Apaches fly over U.S. Forces Korea headquarters during USFK's change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)

Adm. Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, oversaw Friday’s ceremony, which was also attended by South Korea’s acting defense minister, Kim Seon-ho, and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg.

LaCamera has been “ruthlessly focused on combat excellence” throughout his tenure, as evidenced by leading unprecedented military exercises with the South Korean and Japanese militaries, Paparo told the audience.

LaCamera oversaw a series of novel drills held in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile testing, including the first U.S., South Korean, Japanese aerial escort drill of a nuclear-capable bomber on Oct. 22, 2023.

The Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was escorted by U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons, South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and Japanese F-2s over air-defense zones overlapping South Korea and Japan, showcasing the “strength of the trilateral relationship,” INDOPACOM said in a statement at the time.

Two weeks prior to the bomber sortie, the three countries conducted a two-day maritime drill, the first of its kind since 2016.

Brunson previously commanded the Army’s I Corps based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. His other assignments include command of the 7th Infantry Division at Lewis-McChord and chief of staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps.

The Fayetteville, N.C., native graduated from Hampton University and was commissioned an infantry officer in 1990.

His wife, Kirsten Brunson, is a retired Army colonel and is the service’s first African American female judge.