Col. William Kost, deputy commander of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, engages with Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon cadets during a briefing April 24, 2026 at Camp Henry in Daegu, South Korea. (David Edge/U.S. Army)
Cadets from a South Korean army academy attended a first-of-its-kind command brief with U.S. Army leaders recently at Daegu, marking a shift toward more direct engagement between future Korean officers and their American counterparts.
Roughly 30 cadets from the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon visited the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command on April 24 at Camp Henry to take part in a new leadership engagement initiative.
The unit’s deputy commander, Col. William Kost, outlined its role on the peninsula and allowed cadets to engage with senior U.S. and South Korean leaders, as well as junior U.S. officers.
Kost and other officers, including Col. Jeong Jae-hak and Lt. Col Lee Jin-hee, fielded questions on topics ranging from the command’s organizational structure and bilateral information sharing policies to why U.S. troops appear to receive greater public admiration for their service than their South Korean counterparts.
The visit was part of a long-running exchange program between the command and the academy, established under a 2012 memorandum of understanding.
In previous years, cadets primarily toured installation facilities with limited opportunities to speak with command leadership. This year’s format emphasized interaction, giving cadets the chance to ask questions and observe leadership dynamics within the U.S. Army.
Cadets from the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon and U.S. Army officers participated in a briefing on the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Camp Henry in Daegu, South Korea, on n April 24, 2026. (David Edge/U.S. Army)
The expanded format was designed to “invest into the future of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance” by building early relationships between officers, Maj. Derek Rivera of the sustainment command said in an interview with Stars and Stripes.
Including junior officers was also a key part of the event, creating space for candid discussions about leadership and the realities of serving as a platoon leader, Rivera said at the event.
“Everything we do is combined in nature, so it’s likely many of these cadets will work with the 19th ESC in the future,” he said.
Kim Myung-ji, a senior cadet, said the openness of the leadership exchanges during the command brief stood out the most.
Seeing high-ranking officers sitting together and engaging with junior officers and cadets – “I was very surprised,” Kim said. Such interactions are rare in the South Korean army, he said.
He said he would welcome opportunities to work alongside U.S. forces and sought to learn as much as possible about the joint forces culture during the visit.
For Army 2nd Lt. Maxim Ward, the visit was an opportunity to share practical advice with future counterparts and to strengthen ties with South Korean forces.
Ward encouraged his team of cadets to keep an open mind about their career paths and to learn from their enlisted soldiers.
“Higher-ranked officers are there to develop you, but most of what you learn day to day will come from your enlisted soldiers,” Ward said.
He urged cadets to absorb that knowledge “like a sponge.”
