Trump may view OPCON transfer as path to US troop withdrawal: experts

Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump may perceive the proposed transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea as a potential avenue for withdrawing American troops from the Korean Peninsula, according to U.S. experts. Victor Cha, a Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), disclosed these views during an online discussion hosted by the Washington-based think tank on the current state of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

Cha asserted that President Trump has expressed a desire to utilize OPCON transition as a means to pull forces from the peninsula. As the commander in chief, the president possesses various methods to achieve his objectives, Cha added. Even if Congress establishes a minimum U.S. troop presence in South Korea via the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Trump could still seek to reduce the American military presence.

Cha emphasized that congressional representatives should not be under the impression that this is not the way the U.S. president envisions the situation.