[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Possibility of Explicit Nuclear Attack Mention from New Operational Plan

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As South Korea and the United States strengthen joint exercises to respond to the North Korean nuclear threat, it is expected that the new operational plan (OPLAN) to be established this year will include scenarios for responding to nuclear weapon attacks. After preparing the OPLAN, joint exercises between South Korea and the U.S. will be conducted based on it.

President Yoon stated at a press conference held after the summit, "There was also discussion about the need for various forms of joint exercises between the two countries to prepare for nuclear attacks."

In December last year, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to establish a new joint operational plan during the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the two defense ministers. Based on this, joint exercises and training plans are expected to be designed starting in the second half of the year.

Additionally, the new OPLAN is expected to include the deployment of U.S. strategic assets activated through the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG). The EDSCG, which is for strategic and policy consultations on extended deterrence against North Korea, was launched in December 2016 but has not convened since its second meeting in January 2018.

Extended deterrence is a concept where the U.S. supports its allies with nuclear-armed delivery systems and other means to respond to threats or nuclear attacks against them. This includes strategic assets such as nuclear-armed bombers, nuclear-powered submarines, and missile defense (MD) capabilities.

A Ministry of National Defense official said on the 23rd in response to related questions, "After establishing a cooperation system between South Korea and the U.S., and along with that establishment, issues regarding the timely deployment of strategic assets will be discussed through that channel, and we will strengthen exercises for the deployment of strategic assets through regular drills."

Once the OPLAN, including the results of the EDSCG, is completed, joint exercises for nuclear attack preparedness are expected to be subdivided into areas such as monitoring North Korea’s nuclear facilities and bases, detecting signs of nuclear use, and neutralizing actual use. The previous Moon Jae-in administration ended the existing annual exercises (KR/FE in the first half and FG in the second half), which included large-scale field maneuvers, in 2019 and conducted adjusted-scale joint command post exercises (CCPT) in both halves of the year. No field exercises at the regiment level or higher were conducted.

For this reason, there is a high possibility that U.S. strategic weapons will be included in each exercise. The strategic weapons deployed on the Korean Peninsula include the U.S. three major long-range bombers: B-52H, B-1B, and B-2. Strategic assets also include nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, known as "floating bases," which carry about 70 aircraft, and nuclear-powered attack submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 km, which are also dispatched to the Korean Peninsula.

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