United States Department of Defense: "Transfer of Wartime Operational Control to Be an Opportunity to 'Dramatically' Strengthen Forces on the Korean Peninsula"

[Financial News]  The United States Department of Defense (DoD) said it views the planned transfer of Wartime Operational Control (OPCON) to South Korea as an opportunity to "dramatically" strengthen the South Korean military's warfighting capabilities.
Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, made the remarks in written testimony submitted to the United States Senate Armed Services Committee on the 24th (local time). He conveyed the U.S. position on the Lee Jae-myung administration's conditions-based transition of OPCON, which it aims to complete by 2030 during its term.
Colby explained, "As South Korea accelerates its efforts to assume wartime operational control of its forces, the DoD is using this as an opportunity to radically transform and strengthen South Korea's warfighting capabilities."
He also emphasized that the modernization of the ROK-U.S. Alliance is proceeding without disruption. "As China's threat continues to grow, we are actively leveraging the alliance network to strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific region and continuously reinforcing USFK's conventional force posture to respond to all regional threats," he added.
Regarding defense burden-sharing in the Indo-Pacific region, Colby assessed that the DoD had made significant progress. He stressed, "South Korea became the first U.S. ally outside NATO to adopt the new global defense spending benchmark proposed by the DoD for key military capabilities: 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP)."
He also said that South Korea had agreed to assume a 'leading' responsibility and role in conventional defense against North Korea.
The written testimony was submitted as part of the process of reporting to the Senate on the implementation of the National Defense Strategy announced by the DoD earlier this year.


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