End of ROK-US Joint Exercises... Transfer of Wartime Operational Control Delayed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Reporter Yang Nak-gyu, Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), a pledge of the Moon Jae-in administration, has been virtually shelved. The ROK-US alliance was supposed to complete the OPCON transfer verification through the second half joint exercises that ended on the 26th and decide the timing of the transfer, but the scale of the exercises was drastically reduced, so no conclusion was reached.

The ROK-US forces conducted computer simulation exercises consisting of Phase 1 (defense) and Phase 2 (counterattack) drills from the 16th to the 26th. Typically, the ROK-US joint exercises gather about 500 personnel at the bunker ‘CP Tango’ in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. However, this time, the ROK military conducted the exercises at the Capital Defense Command’s ‘B1 bunker’ and the Ministry of National Defense’s ‘B2 bunker’ in Yongsan, Seoul. The US forces trained at CP Tango and the ROK-US Combined Forces Command’s underground bunker ‘CC (Command Center) Seoul.’ This separation was due to COVID-19 concerns.

The number of personnel was also drastically reduced. The ROK-US initially planned to double the number of participants in the second half joint exercises compared to the first half, but considering the COVID-19 situation, reinforcements from the US military were excluded. Ultimately, the number of participants was only about 30% of the first half. Due to this background, the full operational capability (FOC) of the future combined command, which will take command after the OPCON transfer, could not be verified.

The ROK-US alliance intends to postpone the full FOC verification exercise to next year and push forward with the OPCON transfer without disruption, but North Korea’s backlash is expected to be a variable. Since the start of the Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), a preliminary exercise for this joint training, on the 10th, North Korea has not responded to the joint liaison office channel or the regular military communication line calls.

On the last day of the exercises, North Korea’s external propaganda media Uriminzokkiri released a commentary titled “Peace and Confrontation Cannot Coexist,” stating, “This joint military exercise is clearly a dangerous war provocation incident carried out as part of preparations for a northern invasion, deliberately worsening the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

Although the possibility of provocations during the exercise period was mentioned, the military authorities reported that no unusual movements have yet been detected in the North Korean military.

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