Debate continues over timing, plan for military command handover

Wartime operations plan cited as needing revision

Issues surrounding the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to the South Korean military are mounting. They include the timing of the transfer, whether or not to maintain the U.N. Command, and the question of OPLAN 5027. OPLAN 5027 is the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command basic war plan, which lists the timeline for U.S. troop reinforcements in the event of an external armed attack.

The biggest problem is an opinion gap surrounding the timetable between South Korea and the United States. While Seoul says 2012 is the right time for the complete handover of command, Washington says it can happen as early as 2009. This is connected with how long a preparatory period the South Korean military needs before fully being able to exercise wartime military command over its troops.

Seoul thinks that by 2011 at the earliest, it will be equipped with military equipment such as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and Aegis warships, which are essential to securing independent ability to perform wartime military operations. In contrast, the U.S. says that if the transfer happens as late as 2012, the necessary six-year ’transition period’ before dismantling the U.N. Command (UNC) would mean the proper management of the process will have gotten out of hand.