South Korea and the US have updated their joint wartime operation plans, in response to North Korea’s “increasingly sophisticated” nuclear weapons program, the commander of US Forces Korea said late Wednesday.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also leads the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and UN Command, said that the decades-old allies signed a new joint wartime operations plan last year, in a written statement submitted to the US House Armed Services Committee.
"Last year, we took a significant step forward in our combat readiness when the new combined Operations Plan was signed," Brunson said, according to a document distributed to reporters by the USFK.
"Over the past several years, alliance planners worked diligently to construct and develop this plan, constantly testing and validating its concepts through execution during our biannual FS and UFS exercise events," he added. Brunson referred to regular joint South Korea-US military drills, known as Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield.
The new wartime operations plan, the name of which has yet to be officially announced, is believed to have replaced OPLAN 5015, which was signed in 2015. Seoul and Washington in recent years have cooperated to update the plan, with critics voicing the need for the plan to recognize the latest advances in the North’s nuclear program.
Brunson stressed that the new plan addresses the latest shifts in the security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
“In response to the evolving security environment, where the DPRK’s WMD and missile capabilities are increasingly sophisticated, the new OPLAN better prepares CFC prior to armed conflict,” he said. "We will continue to use this plan, refine it, conduct exercises and develop our OAIs to support it."
DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while OAI stands for operations, activities and investments. WMD refers to weapons of mass destruction.
Brunson highlighted the advantages of US strategic assets and troops deployed on the Korean Peninsula as well. The remarks come amid growing concerns here that Washington could shift the primary role of the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea from countering North Korean threats to deterring a potential Chinese move against Taiwan.
“Moreover, US strategic asset deployments to the Korean Peninsula allow training opportunities with multinational forces, operationalize extended deterrence and signal US commitment to the security of the ROK,” Brunson explained, referring to South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
“The ROK sits at the heart of Northeast Asia, which remains a critical region among great powers and regional actors.”
Brunson also said that Washington should keep in mind the security threats on the Korean Peninsula could have “far-reaching implications” for the US.
“It is critical to recognize that a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula could have far-reaching implications for US interests, regional and global affairs,” he said.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
