The top military leaders of South Korea and the US agreed Monday that the allies have made “meaningful progress” toward the transition of wartime operational control, known as OPCON, to Seoul, pledging to continue joint efforts to meet remaining conditions.
According to a joint press statement, Chair of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Jin Yong-sung and his US counterpart Gen. John Daniel Caine made the assessment during the 50th Republic of Korea-United States military committee meeting held at the JCS headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.
“Both sides acknowledged that this year’s annual assessment of the conditions-based OPCON transition criteria showed meaningful progress in many areas,” the statement released in Korean by South Korea’s JCS showed.
“The two chairs reaffirmed their commitment to continue efforts to meet the transition conditions and to further strengthen the combined defense posture.”
The evaluation reflects progress identified through regular assessments conducted during large-scale combined exercises such as Ulchi Freedom Shield. Observers say these serve as the principal test bed for measuring readiness that considers transition benchmarks.
The two military chiefs also emphasized the need to enhance the alliance’s capabilities, interoperability and combined defense posture to proactively respond to a rapidly changing security environment and diverse threats.
They agreed to continue consultations on modernizing the alliance and reinforcing combined defense readiness.
Assessing the regional landscape, the two noted that the Indo-Pacific security environment has become increasingly complex and unstable due to the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and intensified global military competition.
They reaffirmed that the deterrence posture of the ROK-US alliance extends beyond the Korean Peninsula, contributing to regional stability, freedom and prosperity. The two pledged to continue cooperation with allies and partners to deter potential adversaries and ensure mutual security interests.
The military committee meeting serves as the highest-level military dialogue between the two allies, where the chairs of the respective Joint Chiefs of Staff review key alliance issues.
First convened in 1978, the military committee meeting is held annually, alternating between Seoul and Washington.
The outcome of Monday’s meeting will be reported to the 57th ROK-US security consultative meeting to take place Tuesday as of press time in Seoul, co-chaired by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Following the talks, both generals — Gen. Jin, a former Air Force general, and Gen. Caine, an F-16 pilot by background — took part in a joint flight over the Korean Peninsula, piloting a KF-16 and an F-16, respectively, underscoring the enduring airpower cooperation between the two forces, the JCS said in the afternoon.
Under the current arrangement, the US retains OPCON of combined forces in the event of war, while South Korea maintains control during peacetime.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
