The U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea is mulling over measures to utilize special-operations forces here in emergency situations, a U.S. military source said yesterday. This is largely seen as a step toward bolstering the function of the UNC in preparation for the possible transfer of wartime command to South Korea.
The newly-envisioned role was reported in the U.S. military’s Stars and Stripes newspaper, in the context of an international conference intended to share information on North Korea, and to better plan how to use special-operations forces in case of conflict with the North or the regime’s collapse.
General Richard W. Mills, commander of Special Operations Command Korea, said South Korea's special-operations forces would also work with and receive help from the UNC, an international force that would expand in time of crisis. Military special-operations forces from the U.S. and South Korea have trained together for more than five years.
The newspaper quoted Mills as saying that special-operations forces must be ready for three scenarios on the Korean peninsula: daily deterrence, the North Korean regime's possible collapse, and open conflict.
In case of war, special-operations forces would provide the "eyes and ears" on the ground to help build response strategy. If the North Korean regime collapsed, they would be used early to assess the country, provide humanitarian assistance and possibly resolve or detain any opposition forces left, he said.
South Korea recovered the authority to control its military during peacetime in 1994. But wartime control has remained in the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command--led by a U.S. four-star general--since the end of the Korean War in 1953. With South Korea and U.S. ready to discuss command transfer, the U.S. is seen as strengthening the UNC’s role beyond its current status as a logistics supporter in the rear.
The United Nations Command Special Operations Forces Conference, where the UNC’s potential new role was discussed, is an annual event launched in 2002. This year’s conference brought together almost 200 leaders of military special-operations forces, scholars and other experts from 13 countries.
One U.S. Forces Korea information officer played down the importance of the conference, saying that the event was no better than an academic event.
UNC envisioned to assume emergency role |
