USFK commander says conditions for OPCON transfer have changed amid North Korea missile upgrades

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the United Nations Command, South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea, addressed the military challenges facing the Seoul-Washington alliance in great detail. On the wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer from the U.S., he said conditions have clearly changed due to escalating North Korean missile capabilities. His remarks at an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (local time) deserve far more attention in South Korea than they have received. It is not often that a serving four-star commander speaks so openly and in such detail about the military challenges facing the alliance. Brunson addressed issues ranging from North Korea's growing military capabilities to the importance of sustainment, force protection, interoperability and the future of OPCON. These were not simply observations by an American general. They were assessments from the officer responsible for commanding the combined forces that would fight if deterrence failed on the Korean Peninsula. Having spen

WASHINGTON — U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said Wednesday that "conditions have changed" while stressing the requirements in the transfer of a conditions-based wartime operation control (OPCON) from the United States to South Korea. "Because the conditions have changed, because we've changed our plan, we have new standards which we have to uphold," Brunson said while sharing his thoughts on the topic of OPCON transfer during the annual Indo-Pacific Summit hosted by the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington. The general cited North Korea's missile launches carried out earlier this week as evidence of such change. "A cursory glance of a newspaper would tell you that the conditions have most assuredly changed." On Monday, North Korea test-fired tactical ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, part of efforts to upgrade a key component of its weapons systems, with the country's state media calling it a "big success." Brunson's comments come amid a perceived gap between Seoul and Washington over the timing of OPCON transfer. Seoul seeks to retake wa

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier B...