Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
New US defense strategy shifts alliance roles, puts focus on OPCON transfer
Soldiers from the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) and U.S. service members assigned to U.S. Forces Korea salute the national flags during the opening ceremony of KATUSA Friendship Week at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, June 10, 2024, marking the 71st anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance. Newsis
By Bahk Eun-ji
National Defense Strategy calls for expanded Korean role as Colby arrives in Seoul for alliance talks
A new U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) is expected to accelerate discussions over greater strategic flexibility for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, as the U.S. calls for South Korea to take primary responsibility for deterring North Korea.
The Pentagon on Friday (local time) released its 2026 NDS, which states, “South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support.” According to the strategy, the assessment reflects South Korea’s high defense spending, advanced defense industrial base and conscription system.
The document adds that “this shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula.” The wording points to a new division of roles within the alliance, under which Seoul would play a larger role in conventional deterrence while U.S. forces adjust their posture in line with broader strategic priorities, including deterring China.
The Donald Trump administration has consistently called for USFK’s expanded role in the Indo-Pacific region, with USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson introducing an “east-up” map reflecting America’s view of the peninsula as an important position within the region’s broader strategic landscape.
This new strategy could also accelerate OPCON transfer, a process that began in earnest in the mid-2000s.
The two sides agreed on a conditional transition framework consisting of three stages: initial operational capability, full operational capability and full mission capability.
The allies have completed the first stage and are currently carrying out verification for the second. Although the U.S. defense strategy does not specify a timeline for the transfer, its emphasis on increased allied responsibility is consistent with Seoul’s long-standing view that the process should progress as soon as conditions are met. The Lee Jae Myung administration aims to achieve OPCON transfer by 2030.
The new strategy also states that the U.S. will continue to provide extended deterrence, including nuclear deterrence, even as allies take on greater roles in conventional defense.
As to the NDS, the president reiterated his administration’s emphasis on self-reliant defense. “In an unstable international environment, self-reliant defense is the most basic foundation,” Lee said in a social media post Saturday.
“It makes no sense for a country with the world’s fifth-largest military and defense spending equivalent to 1.4 times North Korea’s GDP (gross domestic product) to be unable to defend itself.”
He also said that “firm self-reliant defense and peace on the Korean Peninsula make sustainable economic growth possible,” linking defense autonomy to broader national interests.
U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, left, and other members of military leadership wait for the start of a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., May 5, 2025. AFP-Yonhap
Seoul is expected to receive a detailed explanation about the new strategy as Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, arrived here on Sunday for a three-day visit. Colby, who played a central role in drafting the new defense strategy, is scheduled to meet senior South Korean officials, including Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, to explain Washington’s approach and seek cooperation on implementing the new framework.
Ahead of the visit, the U.S. Department of Defense said Colby would travel to South Korea and Japan to promote Trump’s security approach of “peace through strength.” The Pentagon said the trip emphasizes the importance of U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific region as Washington moves to recalibrate deterrence responsibilities among allies.
Colby has repeatedly argued that allies with advanced military capabilities should take greater responsibility for their own conventional defense. Prior to his appointment, he said the U.S. should focus its military resources on missions that require unique American capabilities while encouraging allies to strengthen their regional deterrence roles.
During his visit, Colby is also scheduled to tour Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas. He will travel to Japan following his Korea visit as part of the same regional tour.