By Jung Da-min
The recent agreement between the South Korean and the U.S. militaries to appoint a South Korean four-star general to lead the future ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) has caused some to ask what should be considered ahead of its formation to maintain efficient military readiness.
| Prof. Lee Jong-sup of Kyungdong University |
“It is not yet clear whether Seoul and Washington will keep the current roles and functions of the JCS and CFC after the transfer of wartime operational control [OPCON], or if they are to coordinate after designating a South Korean general as the new leader of the CFC,” Lee said during a phone interview with The Korea Times, Sunday.
“In any case, it is vital to avoid the overlapping of the role and functions of the JCS and the CFC, which takes control of operations during wartime, while maintaining good connections between them for an efficient transition from peacetime to wartime.”
Lee said military commanders and officers in charge of peacetime missions could take the dual roles of operating wartime missions “as well,” assuming the positions at the JCS and the future CFC at the same time.
He also said Seoul and Washington should streamline the command system.
According to the current system, the future CFC leader will conduct operations based on agreements made at the Military Committee Meeting (MCM) between the chairmen of the South Korean and U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, after these first come up at the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the defense ministers of the allies.
Some observers have noted that there should be discussions on how a South Korean general in charge of the CFC can overcome anticipated difficulties of the post, stemming from a lack of understanding about the command structure of the USFK and knowledge of U.S. only assets.
| Dr. Roland Wilson of George Mason University's Korea Campus |
“As many of you are aware, many U.S. personnel stationed in South Korea wear several hats (working for both the CFC and USFK). Also, the USFK is a sub-unified command of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, with dual reporting requirements, not to mention the various reporting requirements by each of the components to their own higher and service headquarters. Therefore, command, control and support are already very complex for all U.S. personnel.”
Dr. Wilson further said the South Korean general of the future CFC could also find difficulty in requesting the use of U.S. assets.
“A ROK general may suffer difficulty or find it impossible to request U.S. national assets since he may not even know of these assets and may be restricted from using them. Therefore, some type of shared command structure may be the best way going forward.”