[COVER STORY] Scaled-back drills cast uncertainty over OPCON transfer timeline
The scaling back of South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media post calling for a reduction, has increased uncertainty in Seoul’s push for an earlier transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington, as the reduced exercise will likely limit the opportunity to evaluate Seoul’s readiness to lead the combined forces. The Lee Jae Myung…
![[COVER STORY] Scaled-back drills cast uncertainty over OPCON transfer timeline](/img/1931941)
The South Korean-U.S. military drills have been scaled back due to President Donald Trump's request for reduced exercises, creating uncertainty regarding the timeline for transferring wartime operational control (OPCN) from Washington to Seoul. The reduced drills will likely hinder the South Korean administration's efforts to evaluate its readiness to lead the combined forces, as they were planning to showcase their Combined Forces Command's Full Operational Capability (FOC) during the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.
The government aims to discuss a target year for the OPCON transfer at the upcoming Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in October, but the shortened training may complicate these plans, including the pursuit of OPCON transfer around 2028. On Wednesday, the allies announced that this year's UFS would conclude six days earlier than initially scheduled, with some field training exercises reduced or adjusted.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
