Jung Kyung-doo Emphasizes "Need for ROK-US Joint Exercises"... Will They Proceed as Scheduled?

On the 22nd, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo responded to a question from Kim Han-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea during the National Assembly's government questioning session, stating, "Although various conditions are difficult due to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection), we are closely coordinating and cooperating between South Korea and the United States to consider all these factors and determine the optimal course of action."

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du emphasized that the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise scheduled for next month is "a necessary training to protect the security of the Republic of Korea and the combined defense posture." Despite the unavoidable downsizing due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, this reflects the determination to proceed with the Phase 2 Full Operational Capability (FOC) verification evaluation as planned through the second half of the year South Korea-U.S. joint command post exercise.

On the 22nd, during a parliamentary question session, Defense Minister Jeong responded to a question from Kim Han-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "Although various conditions are difficult due to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease), we are closely coordinating and cooperating between South Korea and the U.S. to determine the optimal approach considering all these factors."

The South Korea-U.S. joint verification evaluation for wartime operational control (OPCON) transition proceeds in the order of Phase 1 Initial Operational Capability (IOC), Phase 2 FOC, and Phase 3 Full Mission Capability (FMC) verification evaluations. The two countries completed the Phase 1 IOC verification last year.

Minister Jeong and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper held a telephone conference on the 21st, reaffirming their commitment to advancing the "conditions-based wartime operational control (OPCON) transition." However, the Ministry of National Defense explained, "South Korea and the U.S. are in the final stages of consultation to devise the optimal plan," and that "the final decision must be made while monitoring the COVID-19 situation."

Typically, when South Korea-U.S. joint exercises are conducted, hundreds of U.S. troops from the U.S. mainland must enter South Korea. However, due to the severe COVID-19 situation in the U.S. mainland, the scale of reinforcement forces has not been determined. Although the exercise is scheduled for mid-August, considering that U.S. troops must undergo a two-week quarantine upon entry as part of COVID-19 preventive measures, a September implementation plan is also not ruled out.

Some speculate that the increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases among U.S. Forces Korea personnel is causing delays in the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises. On the 8th, General Abrams reportedly proposed postponing the exercise to October during an emergency meeting, citing that the combat staff from the U.S. mainland could not participate due to COVID-19. Since U.S. troops entering from the mainland must undergo a two-week self-quarantine and other procedures, the preparation period for the exercise would be extended, causing difficulties.

The South Korean military maintains that the exercise must be conducted next month to ensure the OPCON transition. Since the exercise was postponed in the first half of this year due to COVID-19, it cannot be delayed any further. Internally, the military has tentatively decided to start the Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), a pre-exercise rehearsal for the joint exercise, from the 10th of next month; the first phase defense from the 17th; and the second phase counterattack training from the 24th. Each service's operational command and subordinate units have already completed preparations for the joint command post exercise (CPX) and have begun operational planning education. This exercise will be conducted in the form of a war game using computer simulations without actual troop or equipment mobilization.

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