Korea's role in combined command set to grow after OPCON transfer

The Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command is expected to retain its integrated structure after Seoul regains wartime operational control, with a Korean four-star general becoming commander and a U.S. general serving as deputy. The provisional organizational plan will be finalized during the Full Mission Capability assessment, the final phase of the three-stage OPCON evaluation. Experts expect greater Korean involvement in senior staff roles, while the scope of the Korean commander’s authority over U.S. forces remains unresolved.

The CFC was established in 1978 and currently has a U.S. four-star general as commander and a Korean four-star general as deputy.

Gen. Kim Seong-min said the provisional post-transfer arrangement would be finalized during the Full Mission Capability assessment.

The existing CFC staff integrates officers from both militaries to plan and direct combined operations.

Potential changes could include more Korean generals leading intelligence and operations sections or taking more active staff roles.

Retired Gen. Ahn Gwang-chan questioned whether U.S. forces assigned to combined operations would come under the Korean commander’s operational control or operate through a coordination mechanism.

Published Oct 11, 2026 3:53 pm KST

Updated Oct 11, 2026 4:25 pm KST

Experts foresee limited changes to structure, raise questions over US forces' operational control

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, right, reviews an honor guard alongside Gen. Xavier Brunson, center, commander of the United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command, during a visit to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 2. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

As Korea prepares to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, questions remain over how the leadership and organization of their combined military command will change.

The Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) is expected to retain its integrated command structure, with Korean officers potentially taking more senior staff positions, military experts said.

The outlook comes after Seoul and Washington disclosed that they have agreed on a provisional organizational plan for the post-transfer command. While the two countries have already agreed to put a Korean general in charge, the division of responsibilities beneath the commander has yet to be made public.

Korea, US agree on temporary combined forces structure after OPCON transfer

Gen. Kim Seong-min, the CFC’s deputy commander, told a parliamentary audit Wednesday that the provisional arrangement would be finalized during the Full Mission Capability (FMC) assessment, the final stage of the three-phase evaluation process for OPCON transfer. He described the plan as a draft and dismissed suggestions that the combined command would be dissolved after the handover.

Kim Jung-sup, director of the Sejong Institute, said the existing agreement leaves little room for a major restructuring of the command.

“We’ll naturally proceed under the existing agreement. Changing that would be a major departure,” he said, adding that adjustments were more likely to involve the allocation of posts within the combined staff.

“Intelligence and operations are important staff functions,” Kim said. “There could be changes such as more Korean generals heading those sections or taking a more active role in the staff once a Korean general becomes commander.”

Gen. Kim Seong-min, left, deputy commander of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, answers lawmakers' questions during a National Assembly Defense Committee audit of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps

The CFC is currently led by a U.S. four-star general, with a Korean four-star general serving as deputy. Officers from both militaries serve on an integrated staff that plans and directs combined operations. The command was established in 1978 to coordinate the allies’ defense of Korea and has since served as the central headquarters for their combined wartime operations.

Under the agreed post-transfer arrangement, a Korean four-star general would become commander and a U.S. general would serve as deputy, rather than the allies operating separate wartime commands.

A shift to parallel national commands would amount to a more fundamental change, Kim said, because the existing arrangement assumes a single combined headquarters. He considered such a departure unlikely under the agreements already reached by the allies.

Kim said the two militaries could also continue sharing leadership of component commands, as they do now. He cautioned, however, that there was not enough information to predict which side would hold individual posts under the provisional plan.

Jeong Han-beom, a political science professor at Korea National Defense University, similarly expected the basic framework to remain intact.

“What I’ve heard is that they’re proceeding in line with the original agreement,” Jeong said. “As far as I know, there hasn’t been a major change. But we’ll have to see what comes out of the detailed discussions.”

The unresolved question is how command authority over U.S. forces would work in practice once a Korean general heads the CFC.

Retired Gen. Ahn Gwang-chan questioned whether the existing integrated structure could function in the same way under the new leadership arrangement. He said the critical issue was whether U.S. forces assigned to combined operations would fall under the Korean commander’s operational control or instead operate through a coordination mechanism.

“When the combined forces commander is Korean, will that still be the case? That’s a very serious question,” Ahn said, referring to the operational control relationship within the current command.

Jeong, however, emphasized that the commander’s authority would be meaningful if the commander had effective decision-making authority.

“If the commander has the authority to make decisions, then the authority is effectively guaranteed,” he said. He also noted that agreements governing the CFC should not be taken to mean that every U.S. military unit in Korea would automatically come under its operational control.

预计在首尔重新获得战时作战控制权后，韩美联合司令部将保持其一体化架构，由一名韩国四星上将担任司令，一名美国将军担任副司令。该临时组织方案将在全面任务能力评估期间最终确定，全面任务能力评估是三阶段作战控制评估的最后阶段。专家预计韩国将在高级参谋职位上发挥更大作用，但韩国司令对美军的管辖范围仍未确定。

联合部队成立于 1978 年，目前由一名美国四星上将担任指挥官，一名韩国四星上将担任副指挥官。

金成民将军表示，移交后的临时安排将在全面任务能力评估期间最终确定。

现有的联合部队司令部人员整合了来自两军的军官，负责计划和指挥联合行动。

潜在的变化可能包括更多韩国将军领导情报和作战部门或担任更积极的参谋角色。

退役将军安光灿质疑，分配到联合行动中的美军部队是会受到韩国指挥官的作战指挥，还是会通过协调机制进行行动。

发布于2026年10月11日下午3:53（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月11日下午4:25（韩国标准时间）

专家预计部队结构变化有限，但对美军的作战控制能力提出质疑。

10月2日，韩国国防部长康信哲（右）在京畿道平泽市汉弗莱斯营地视察期间，与联合国军司令部、驻韩美军司令兼联合部队司令泽维尔·布伦森将军（中）一同检阅仪仗队。图片由韩国国防部提供。

随着韩国准备从美国手中重新获得战时作战指挥权（OPCON），其联合军事指挥的领导层和组织结构将如何变化，仍然存在疑问。

军事专家表示，韩美联合司令部（CFC）预计将保留其一体化指挥结构，韩国军官可能会担任更高级的参谋职位。

此前，首尔和华盛顿透露，双方已就移交后司令部的临时组织方案达成一致。虽然两国已同意由一名韩国将军担任司令，但司令官下属的职责划分尚未公开。

韩国和美国就作战指挥权移交后的临时联合部队架构达成一致。

联合司令部副司令金成民将军周三在国会听证会上表示，临时安排将在全面任务能力（FMC）评估期间最终确定，这是作战指挥权移交三阶段评估流程的最后阶段。他称该计划为草案，并驳斥了联合司令部将在移交后解散的说法。

世宗研究所所长金正燮表示，现有协议几乎没有给指挥部进行重大重组留下任何空间。

“我们自然会按照现有协议继续进行。改变协议将是一次重大的偏离，”他说道，并补充说，调整更有可能涉及合并后员工队伍内部的岗位分配。

金说：“情报和作战是重要的参谋职能。未来可能会出现一些变化，例如更多韩国将军领导这些部门，或者一旦韩国将军担任司令官，他们将在参谋部门发挥更积极的作用。”

周四，在首尔龙山区国防部举行的国会国防委员会对联合参谋本部进行审计期间，韩美联合司令部副司令金成民（左）将军回答了议员们的提问。（联合新闻社）

联合部队司令部目前由一名美国四星上将领导，一名韩国四星上将担任副司令。美韩两国军官组成联合参谋部，负责规划和指挥联合行动。该司令部成立于1978年，旨在协调盟军在朝鲜半岛的防御，此后一直作为盟军联合战时行动的中央指挥部。

根据双方商定的移交后安排，一名韩国四星上将将担任指挥官，一名美国将军将担任副指挥官，而不是盟军各自指挥战时部队。

金正恩表示，转向平行国家司令部将是一项更为根本性的变革，因为现行安排是以单一联合司令部为基础的。他认为，根据盟国已达成的协议，这种转变不太可能发生。

金表示，两军还可以像现在一样继续共享各组成司令部的领导权。但他同时提醒，目前信息不足，无法预测根据临时方案，具体岗位将由哪一方担任。

韩国国防大学政治学教授郑汉范也同样认为，基本框架将保持不变。

郑先生说：“我听到的消息是，他们正按照原协议推进。据我所知，目前还没有重大变化。但我们还得看看详细磋商的结果。”

尚未解决的问题是，一旦韩国将军担任联合部队司令，对美军的指挥权在实践中将如何运作。

退役将军安光灿质疑，在新领导安排下，现有的一体化架构是否还能继续有效运作。他指出，关键问题在于，参与联合行动的美军部队究竟是直接受韩方指挥官的作战指挥，还是通过协调机制开展行动。

“如果联合部队司令是韩国人，情况还会如此吗？这是一个非常严肃的问题，”安说，他指的是当前指挥部内部的作战控制关系。

然而，郑强调，只有指挥官拥有有效的决策权，指挥官的权威才有意义。

“如果指挥官拥有决策权，那么这种权力就得到了有效保障，”他说道。他还指出，不应将有关联合部队司令部（CFC）的协议理解为驻韩美军所有单位都会自动置于其作战指挥之下。