Jung Kyung-doo and Abrams Emergency Meeting... Possibility of Discussing Joint Exercises Next Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter]Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du and USFK Commander Robert Abrams reportedly held an emergency meeting on the 7th.

Regarding the meeting between the top military leaders of South Korea and the US, which was not on the public schedule, there is speculation inside and outside the military that they likely discussed issues such as the implementation of the upcoming ROK-US joint military exercises next month.

Multiple government sources stated on the 8th that Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du and Commander Robert Abrams met the previous day at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. This meeting was not included in Minister Jeong’s public schedule.

The agenda discussed at the meeting has not been disclosed. However, it is speculated that discussions took place regarding whether to proceed with the ROK-US joint military exercises as planned next month.

The ROK and US are currently consulting on the plan for the second half’s joint command post exercise expected around mid-next month, but no decisions have been made yet on whether to scale down, postpone, or defer the exercise.

Sources explained that due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the US mainland, it is expected that US troops participating in the exercise will not be able to enter South Korea.

In particular, the upcoming second half joint command post exercise must verify the Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future combined forces command in preparation for the wartime operational control transfer. This requires a large number of US troops from the mainland to enter South Korea. If US troops from the mainland and Japan cannot enter South Korea, only USFK troops will participate, which is pointed out to hinder proper FOC verification exercises.

In this regard, Commander Abrams stated at the 6th ROK-US Alliance Forum invited lecture on the 1st, "Due to COVID-19, we had no choice but to postpone the first half joint command post exercise, and instead conducted staff training, but it could not match the effect of biannual theater-level exercises," adding, "Theater-level joint exercises are essential for joint readiness."

Depending on the COVID-19 situation, it is known that the US side’s stance is to proceed with the joint exercises focusing on reviewing the joint defense posture even if the scale is reduced.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.