No Change in Command Transfer Timeline
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The transition of operational control of South Korean troops during wartime from the top U.S. commander in Seoul to Korea in 2012 will proceed as scheduled, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Walter Sharp said Wednesday.
Sharp's remarks made during a House Appropriations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. are the latest affirmation by U.S. officials dismissing growing calls to readjust the timeline for the command rearrangement.
He said the transfer of operational control (OPCON) was ``on track as planned.''
``We are working hard to ensure that all conditions will be met for a smooth OPCON transition on 17 April, 2012.''
In South Korea, conservative civic groups and defense experts have called for delaying the timing for the OPCON transfer, citing the lingering threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said earlier this week that both countries might be able to discuss the delay of the OPCON transfer, should security conditions on the Korean Peninsula worsen.
The official later said that his remarks didn't mean the two governments were discussing a delay.
Meanwhile, construction of buildings to be used for the South Korean military command after the wartime command transfer began near the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday.
About 153 billion won has been set aside for the work which is expected to be completed by 2011.
South Korea and the United States agreed in 2007 to give South Korean generals more responsibility to command and control their troops in the case of war.
Under the agreement, the U.S.-led Combined Forces Command (CFC) will be deactivated and two separate theater commands of the South Korean and U.S. militaries will be established. The U.S. will shift to a naval- and air-centric supporting role, while the Korean military takes the lead in ground operations against North Korea.
Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a U.S.-based conservative think tank, said in an article for the Los Angeles Times earlier this month that the defense system of separate commands would weaken the combined defense posture against North Korea considerably.
``If the plan is implemented, the long-standing system whereby a U.S. general would command both countries' armed forces in any wartime scenario against North Korea is to be dissolved,'' he wrote.
``Instead, a new approach would have each country in effect command its own military units,'' he said. ``But to my mind, the basic concept of dividing command never made sense and perhaps should even be repudiated.''
Gen. Sharp disagreed.
``OPCON transition will not result in independent OPCON nor require independent, self-reliant ROK forces,'' he said, referring to the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. ``It also will not lead to a reduction of (U.S.) forces or weaken the U.S. commitment to provide reinforcement to the Korean Peninsula. Rather, the alliance will continue close strategic coordination and consultation to ensure the appropriate capabilities are in place to meet future threats.''
Sharp also made it clear that the U.S. will be committed to defending South Korea by using its full range of military capabilities, including the nuclear umbrella.