South Korea’s Department of Defense has announced that it is actively engaging with Congress regarding the inclusion of provisions in next year’s defense budget bill that aim to strengthen oversight of the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea.
On June 19, a defense official stated that while it’s not appropriate for the Department of Defense to assess legislation under congressional discussion, the U.S. and South Korea are in talks based on a shared understanding that the OPCON transfer will bolster the combined defense posture on the Korean Peninsula.
The official added that they’ve been proactively explaining this to Congress and will continue to do so.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027, passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 11, mandates that the Secretary of Defense submit reports and provide briefings to the congressional defense committees every 90 days from March 1, 2027, through December 31, 2030.
These reports and briefings will focus on the progress of implementing the bilateral roadmap for transitioning OPCON from the U.S.-led Combined Forces Command to a future South Korea-led Combined Forces Command.
Notably, the reports must include current assessments from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea Commander regarding South Korea’s readiness to assume OPCON responsibilities.
The South Korean government, pushing for an expedited OPCON transfer, plans to complete the verification of the future Combined Forces Command’s Full Operational Capability (FOC) this fall and propose a target year for the transfer. Subsequently, the final Full Mission Capability (FMC) evaluation and verification process will commence, during which the 90-day congressional reporting requirement is expected to apply.
Last month, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with U.S. lawmakers to request bipartisan support for the OPCON transfer.
Minister Lee told reporters that he conveyed to U.S. lawmakers that the OPCON transfer has made substantial progress, and it could transition tomorrow without issues. He explained that South Korea and the U.S. had already met 94% of the transfer conditions by 2020 and provided a comprehensive overview of the phased capabilities.
