ROK, US agree to fortify alliance against NK threats
South Korea and the United States have agreed to update their joint wartime strategy against possible nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. During an annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held in Seoul, Thursday, the two allies concurred on the need to draw up a new strategic planning guidance (SPG) reflecting the changed security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The planned update of the military operational plans against possible North Korean provocations is welcome, albeit belated, given the North has continued attempts to bolster its nuclear arsenal and wartime capabilities coupled with the changed strategic circumstance surrounding the peninsula. There have been continued calls to update the current OPLAN 5027 and OPLAN 5015 as both are focused on deterring North Korea’s conventional weapons.
The SPG was last revised in 2010. Since then, Pyongyang has strengthened its nuclear capabilities through four nuclear-capable missile test launches, even including submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and hypersonic missiles. We hope the new wartime strategy will be fully updated to reflect the changed war scenarios on the peninsula beyond the level of revising and updating the existing one.
South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also agreed to verify the full operational capability (FOC) of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command next year as part of endeavors toward the envisaged transfer of wartime operation control (OPCON). The OPCON transfer has remained stalled over the past two years although the two sides originally planned to carry out the second-stage verification of the FOC via ROK-U.S. joint military exercises.
The two defense chiefs described the ROK-U.S. alliance as “the linchpin of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region” as well as on the Korean Peninsula. “Both sides pledged to continue to develop the alliance in a mutually reinforcing and future-oriented manner,” they said in a joint communique adopted at the end of the 53rd SCM. What is worrying is the possibility that the U.S., now engaged in a severe hegemonic competition with China, might ask for the South Korean military’s cooperation in the event of escalating disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.
We also worry because the defense chiefs touched on the issue of Taiwan for the first time at the SCM. “The minister and the secretary acknowledged the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as reflected in the May 2021 Joint Statement between President Joe Biden and President Moon Jae-in,” according to the communique.
It seems to be inappropriate for the two allies to refer to the Taiwan issue at the SCM. Besides, it is feared to trigger a strong repercussion from China. The U.S. should remember that the ROK’s interests in Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific regions can be different from its own. The Korean government, for its part, should make its stance clear so that it does not get entangled in possible rows between the two countries regardless of its intention.
South Korea and the United States have agreed to update their joint wartime strategy against possible nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. During an annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held in Seoul, Thursday, the two allies concurred on the need to draw up a new strategic planning guidance (SPG) reflecting the changed security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The planned update of the military operational plans against possible North Korean provocations is welcome, albeit belated, given the North has continued attempts to bolster its nuclear arsenal and wartime capabilities coupled with the changed strategic circumstance surrounding the peninsula. There have been continued calls to update the current OPLAN 5027 and OPLAN 5015 as both are focused on deterring North Korea’s conventional weapons.
The SPG was last revised in 2010. Since then, Pyongyang has strengthened its nuclear capabilities through four nuclear-capable missile test launches, even including submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and hypersonic missiles. We hope the new wartime strategy will be fully updated to reflect the changed war scenarios on the peninsula beyond the level of revising and updating the existing one.
South Korea’s Defense Minister Suh Wook and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III also agreed to verify the full operational capability (FOC) of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command next year as part of endeavors toward the envisaged transfer of wartime operation control (OPCON). The OPCON transfer has remained stalled over the past two years although the two sides originally planned to carry out the second-stage verification of the FOC via ROK-U.S. joint military exercises.
The two defense chiefs described the ROK-U.S. alliance as “the linchpin of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region” as well as on the Korean Peninsula. “Both sides pledged to continue to develop the alliance in a mutually reinforcing and future-oriented manner,” they said in a joint communique adopted at the end of the 53rd SCM. What is worrying is the possibility that the U.S., now engaged in a severe hegemonic competition with China, might ask for the South Korean military’s cooperation in the event of escalating disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.
We also worry because the defense chiefs touched on the issue of Taiwan for the first time at the SCM. “The minister and the secretary acknowledged the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as reflected in the May 2021 Joint Statement between President Joe Biden and President Moon Jae-in,” according to the communique.
It seems to be inappropriate for the two allies to refer to the Taiwan issue at the SCM. Besides, it is feared to trigger a strong repercussion from China. The U.S. should remember that the ROK’s interests in Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific regions can be different from its own. The Korean government, for its part, should make its stance clear so that it does not get entangled in possible rows between the two countries regardless of its intention.
Wartime strategy update
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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