[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The ROK-US Exercises Scheduled to Begin on the 18th of This Month Are

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] South Korea and the United States will begin joint military exercises from the 18th of this month. However, there are criticisms that this year's exercises will again be "ineffective" due to issues such as the COVID-19 situation and the Ministry of National Defense building relocation.

According to military officials on the 2nd, from the 8th of this month, a Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), which serves as a rehearsal for the exercises, will be conducted, followed by Phase 1 (defense) exercises from the 18th to the 22nd, and Phase 2 (counterattack) exercises from the 25th to the 28th.

However, the South Korean and U.S. military authorities are known to have scaled down the exercise size more than originally planned. Corps-level subordinate units cited COVID-19 as the reason for not participating directly in the exercises and decided to form only response teams. In particular, although Ministry of National Defense personnel are supposed to move to the Joint Chiefs of Staff underground bunker, this movement will be discouraged again this year. Additionally, due to the relocation of the Blue House office, the military must handle the joint exercises and the relocation issues simultaneously.

Because of this, the verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second phase for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), will again be limited to rehearsals. Despite U.S. opposition to the FOC verification, it is known that the rehearsals are being conducted at the request of the South Korean military.

During Phase 1 (defense) and Phase 2 (counterattack) exercises, Lieutenant General Kim Seung-gyeom, Deputy Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, is expected to serve as commander for one day each in Phase 1 and Phase 2 to lead the forces. For the remaining exercise period, General Robert Abrams, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, will serve as commander under the current system.