USFK Commander: "Aiming to Meet OPCON Transfer Conditions by Q1 2029"

Remarks at the U.S. House Armed Services Committee

Javier Brunson, Commander of the Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea, stated on the 22nd (local time) regarding the transfer of wartime operational control, "We have submitted a roadmap to the Department of Defense to achieve the relevant conditions by the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2029 (the first quarter of 2029 in Korea) at the latest."

Javier Brunson, Commander of United States Forces Korea, at a press briefing in August last year. Photo by Yonhap News.

On this day, Commander Brunson appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and responded to a question from Chairman Mike Rogers (Republican) about the readiness for the transfer of operational control. The U.S. government's Fiscal Year 2029 runs from October 1, 2028, to September 30, 2029, making the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2029 correspond to January to March 2029.

This statement suggests that a timeline has been established to meet the conditions for the transfer of operational control no later than the first quarter of 2029. However, this period coincides with the term of U.S. President Donald Trump, which lasts until January 20 of that year, and the start of the next U.S. president’s term. This is why there are observations that the U.S. side has developed the roadmap with the possibility in mind that the fulfillment of the transfer conditions could carry over to the next administration.

Commander Brunson stated, "We will continue to pursue the conditions-based transfer of operational control to ensure that all requirements are met." This reiterates the emphasis on prerequisites such as strengthening the capabilities of the South Korean military, following his remarks the previous day before the Senate Armed Services Committee that “political convenience should not take precedence over conditions.”

He said that the matter will be discussed at upcoming meetings, including the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), and this fall at the Military Committee Meeting (MCM) and the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) to be held in Washington, D.C.

Commander Brunson assessed, "Considering that South Korea continues to increase its defense budget and is planning an 8.5% increase over the next three years, the overall outlook is positive." He added, "After the transfer of operational control, we plan to provide 'essential but limited' support for countering North Korea, while also exploring ways to broaden our strategic focus westward."

In his opening remarks, Commander Brunson said, "The Korean Peninsula is a key strategic stronghold for defending the U.S. homeland and advancing U.S. interests in the region. Our forces stationed in Korea are pursuing modernization to respond to rapidly changing strategic challenges, which is why I focus more on capabilities than on troop numbers."

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