FOC Verification for Transfer of Operational Control Finally Set for 'Next Summer'

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, is speaking at the joint press conference of the 53rd Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held on the afternoon of the 2nd at the briefing room of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The South Korean and U.S. military authorities have decided to conduct the Full Operational Capability (FOC) evaluation for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) next summer. Initially, the South Korean military planned to hold the evaluation in the spring of next year to expedite the OPCON transfer process, but the U.S. opposed this.

On the 2nd, during the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), South Korea and the U.S. agreed only on the policy to conduct the FOC evaluation next year. In a joint press conference explaining the SCM results, Secretary Austin stated that the FOC verification would be conducted during the Combined Command Post Training (CCPT) in the latter half of next year, emphasizing the timing in the second half.

However, when Secretary Austin visited President Moon Jae-in, the possibility of an early FOC evaluation was mentioned, prompting renewed consultations between the South Korean and U.S. military authorities. On the 12th, Defense Minister Suh Wook said, "We have decided to conduct the future Combined Forces Command FOC evaluation next year, but our hope is to do it a bit earlier," adding, "U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has instructed the military authorities to review whether the FOC exercise can be held in the spring of next year."

Nevertheless, the U.S. side ultimately finalized the FOC evaluation timing for next summer. On the 13th (local time), Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby responded to a question about the South Korean Defense Minister's statement that the U.S. Secretary of Defense ordered the U.S. military to consider conducting the second-phase OPCON transfer evaluation in the spring of next year, saying, "Secretary Austin recently agreed in South Korea that both sides would conduct the FOC evaluation next summer, proceed with progress on OPCON, and conduct a re-evaluation in the fall."

Meanwhile, according to the "Conditions-Based OPCON Transfer Plan" agreed upon by South Korea and the U.S. in 2014, the evaluation of the future Combined Forces Command's capabilities, led by the South Korean military in preparation for the OPCON transfer, is being conducted in three phases. The capability evaluations are divided into △Phase 1 Initial Operational Capability (IOC) evaluation △Phase 2 Full Operational Capability (FOC) evaluation △Phase 3 Full Mission Capability (FMC) evaluation, with only the IOC evaluation having been completed in 2019.

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