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Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back presides over a gathering to evaluate the progress of Korea’s bid to retake wartime operational management from Washington, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Nationwide Protection
Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday reiterated the dedication to regaining wartime operational management (OPCON) of Korean troops from Washington, vowing to speed up efforts this yr for the deliberate switch.
Ahn made the remarks throughout a gathering with about 170 key protection ministry officers, army chiefs and associated officers to evaluate progress on the OPCON switch push.
Korea seeks to retake OPCON, at present held by america, on a conditional foundation inside President Lee Jae Myung’s five-year time period ending in 2030.
“The yr 2026 ought to mark the beginning yr for restoration of wartime operational management,” Ahn stated. “Via the OPCON switch, our army can be geared up with an ever stronger army readiness posture based mostly on six element instructions, main a strong Korea-U.S. alliance that’s unprecedented in world historical past.”
The ministry plans to attract up a roadmap for the OPCON switch by April, adopted by verification of Seoul’s Full Operational Functionality (FOC) by October, earlier than finally choosing the timing for the precise switch, in response to Ahn and his ministry.
Seoul seeks to find out the switch timing after the protection ministers of Korea and the U.S. lastly approve the verification of the FOC at their subsequent Safety Consultative Assembly in October.
FOC refers back to the second a part of a three-stage program to evaluate Seoul’s capabilities to steer the allies’ mixed forces for the retaking of wartime management. Seoul is at present within the second part of the evaluation required for the switch.
The protection ministry stated it can maintain the OPCON switch progress evaluation assembly each quarter this yr, up from annually beforehand, in a bid to finish the FOC verification course of inside this yr as deliberate.
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