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 reduction will likely limit the opportunity to evaluate Seoul’s readiness to lead the combined forces. The Lee Jae Myung…
South Korea and the United States have scaled back their joint military drills in response to President Donald Trump's social media call for reduced exercises. This decision has created uncertainty for Seoul's efforts to obtain earlier wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington, as the reduced drills may limit opportunities to assess Seoul's readiness to lead combined forces.
The Lee Jae Myung administration has been working to validate the Combined Forces Command's Full Operational Capability (FOC) under South Korean leadership during ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises, with the goal of discussing a target year for OPCON transfer at the next Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in October. However, the shortened training schedule is anticipated to complicate these plans, including the government's ambition to achieve OPCON transfer by 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 being scaled back 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.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Scaled-back drills cast uncertainty over OPCON transfer timeline koreatimes.co.kr
