South Korea, U.S. push wartime control review during August drill
· UPIAug. 6 (Asia Today) -- South Korean and U.S. military authorities are accelerating efforts to formally establish a target year for the transfer of wartime operational control at the allies' annual defense talks in Washington in October.
South Korea's Defense Ministry plans to use the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, scheduled for Aug. 17-27, to effectively complete an assessment of the future Combined Forces Command's full operational capability.
The results would then be reported to the two countries' commanders in chief.
The ministry formally presented its plan for the recovery of wartime operational control and other major defense initiatives during a foreign and national security policy briefing at the presidential office Wednesday.
"We are maintaining close discussions with the United States through various channels," a senior government official said. "We intend to make this fall's Security Consultative Meeting a historic turning point at which the assessment is approved and the timing of the transfer is determined."
August exercise to test key capabilities
The South Korean and U.S. militaries will conduct detailed assessments during the command-post portion of this month's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.
The assessments will focus on two of the three principal conditions for the transfer: South Korea's ability to lead the combined defense and the alliance's ability to comprehensively respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
The evaluation process consists of three stages: initial operational capability, full operational capability and full mission capability.
The current full operational capability assessment is considered the most difficult stage because it places greater emphasis on quantitative and military evaluations.
Should the two defense chiefs approve the assessment in October, only the final full mission capability stage would remain.
That final stage involves more qualitative evaluations and political decisions, meaning that approval in October would effectively determine the transfer year.
"If the target year is confirmed at the October meeting, a strategic road map could emerge under which 2028, before the end of the Trump administration, would become the deadline for recovering wartime operational control," a senior military official said.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on April 22 that he had submitted a road map to the U.S. Defense Department for meeting the necessary conditions before the second quarter of fiscal 2029, corresponding to the first quarter of 2029 in South Korea.
Command authority and reinforcement remain central concerns
Military researchers and defense industry officials have cautioned that the allies must closely examine the practical limitations associated with transferring military command authority.
One key variable is the so-called Pershing principle, under which the United States has generally resisted placing U.S. forces under the operational command of a foreign general since World War II.
Another critical question is whether the existing system for automatically deploying U.S. strategic reinforcements would continue to operate without congressional delays under a future command led by a South Korean four-star general.
Those reinforcements could include aircraft carriers, B-52H bombers and missile-defense assets assigned to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The Defense Ministry said the fundamental structure of the allies' combined command system would remain intact after the transfer.
"Even after wartime operational control is recovered, the essential framework of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command will remain firmly in place," the ministry said. "U.S. Forces Korea is also fully complying with the existing agreements."
South Korea plans to complete the establishment of a permanent Combined Special Operations Component Command and create a Combined Military Intelligence Support Operations Component Command next year.
South Korea plans independent deterrence buildup
The Defense Ministry also announced plans to strengthen South Korea's independent ability to deter North Korean nuclear threats.
The government will seek passage of special legislation this year to support construction of a nuclear-powered submarine and begin legal and institutional consultations with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
South Korea also plans to increase its inventory of high-powered ballistic missiles and accelerate the deployment of KF-21 fighter jets.
The military plans to deploy a 50-kilowatt laser weapon for intercepting drones in the early 2030s, followed by a 300-kilowatt system against cruise missiles in the mid-2030s and a 1-megawatt system intended to intercept ballistic missiles in the 2040s.
To address the country's shrinking military-age population, the ministry plans to adjust the total defense workforce to about 500,000 by 2040. The figure would include active-duty personnel, civilian military employees and standing reservists.
The government also plans to improve conditions for officers and establish a legal framework giving the Marine Corps status similar to that of a fourth military branch.
The August exercise and the October defense talks are expected to attract close attention because the wartime control transfer would represent one of the most significant changes to the security structure of the Korean Peninsula.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260806010001911