USFK commander reaffirms commitment to 'conditions-based' OPCON transfer

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SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- The top commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) reaffirmed Wednesday the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul must be strictly based on their agreed-upon "conditions-based" framework.

USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a defense forum, highlighting that ongoing discussions on the OPCON transition are central to the allies' "future milestones."

"The ROK-U.S. alliance remains a cornerstone of peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the Pacific," Brunson said at the Combined Warfighting Forum, hosted by the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"As we advance toward our future milestones, ensuring that our OPCON transition remains firmly conditions-based, driven by robust ROK-led capabilities in a secure regional environment, our willingness to innovate, adapt and act outside our comfort zone will be our ultimate shield," he said.

The "conditions-based" OPCON transition refers to a plan Seoul has agreed to to regain wartime OPCON from Washington, under which South Korea must lead the future combined command and secure key strike capabilities to counter North Korea's threats, while the regional security environment should be conducive to the OPCON handover.

U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson delivers a keynote speech during the Combined Warfighting Forum, hosted by the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command at the Defense Convention in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sept. 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

Seoul is pushing to retake wartime OPCON from Washington before the Lee Jae Myung administration's five-year term ends in 2030, or even as early as next year.

But the allies have shown a possible gap over the transition timeline, with Brunson having stressed that political expediency should not override military readiness in the OPCON transition process.

Wednesday's remarks by the USFK commander are seen as reinforcing his position on the issue.

Brunson made the point as he stressed the need for combined joint all-domain operations (CJADO), a U.S. military concept to synchronize combat capabilities across land, air, sea, space and cyberspace into a single, networked force with allies like South Korea.

To advance the implementation of CJADO, Brunson called for accepting the "uncomfortable truth," and breaking away from the silos-oriented warfare structure and taking tangible steps to adapt to the changing modern warfare.

"We must transition from theorizing about the future to absolutely implementing combined joint all-domain operations for CJADO and how the ROK-U.S. alliance fights today, tomorrow and, if necessary, how we would fight tonight," he said.

"All domain convergence requires us to push aggressively and unapologetically ... We cannot master these frontiers from inside our institutional comfort zones. Breaking out of these silos means accepting structural discomfort," he said.

The focal point of CJADO is interoperability, which is not an abstract concept, but an "immediate warfighting requirement," Brunson noted.

"We no longer have the luxury of time," he said. "Interoperability must be demonstrated today through real-time data sharing, synchronized sensor-to-shooter links, and combined command and control architectures that function flawlessly under fire."

To integrate force capabilities with international allies, how to create a combined network for information sharing and decision-making is regarded as key to the CJADO implementation.

"Achieving this requires us to embrace collaborative friction, and that will be our true sign of progress," Brunson said. "We must stress-test our networks, our software and our tactical protocols in peacetime environments that deliberately replicate the chaos of modern combat."

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

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USFK commander reaffirms commitment to 'conditions-based' OPCON transfer

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首尔，9月16日（韩联社）——驻韩美军最高司令周三重申，战时作战指挥权从华盛顿移交给首尔必须严格按照双方商定的“基于条件”的框架进行。

驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军在一次国防论坛上发表了上述言论，强调正在进行的作战指挥权交接讨论对盟军的“未来里程碑”至关重要。

“韩美同盟仍然是东北亚和太平洋地区和平与稳定的基石，”布伦森在由韩国-美国联合部队司令部（CFC）主办的联合作战论坛上说道，他用的是韩国的正式名称——大韩民国。

“在我们迈向未来里程碑的过程中，确保我们的作战指挥权过渡始终以条件为基础，由韩国在安全的区域环境中强大的能力驱动，我们勇于创新、适应和走出舒适区的意愿将是我们最终的保障，”他说道。

“基于条件的”作战指挥权移交是指首尔同意从华盛顿手中重新获得战时作战指挥权的一项计划，根据该计划，韩国必须领导未来的联合指挥部并确保关键打击能力以应对朝鲜的威胁，同时地区安全环境应有利于作战指挥权的移交。

2026年9月16日，驻韩美军司令泽维尔·布伦森将军在首尔龙山举行的防务大会上，于由韩美联合司令部主办的联合作战论坛上发表主旨演讲。（韩联社）

首尔正努力在李在明政府五年任期于 2030 年结束之前，甚至最早在明年，从华盛顿手中夺回战时作战指挥权。

但盟军在过渡时间表上可能存在分歧，布伦森强调，在作战指挥权过渡过程中，政治权宜之计不应凌驾于军事战备之上。

驻韩美军司令周三的讲话被视为重申了他在此问题上的立场。

布伦森强调了联合全域作战（CJADO）的必要性，这是美国军事概念，旨在将陆地、空中、海洋、太空和网络空间的作战能力协调起来，与韩国等盟友组成一支单一的网络化部队。

为了推进 CJADO 的实施，布伦森呼吁接受“令人不安的真相”，打破以各自为政的战争结构，并采取切实措施适应不断变化的现代战争。

他说：“我们必须从对未来的理论探讨过渡到全面实施联合全域作战，以及韩美同盟今天、明天以及必要时今晚如何作战。”

“所有领域的融合都要求我们积极主动、毫不妥协地推进……我们无法在体制的舒适区内掌握这些前沿领域。打破这些壁垒意味着要接受结构上的不适，”他说道。

布伦森指出，CJADO 的重点是互操作性，这不是一个抽象的概念，而是一个“迫在眉睫的作战需求”。

“我们已经没有时间可以浪费了，”他说。“互操作性必须立即通过实时数据共享、同步的传感器到射手链路以及在战火下完美运行的联合指挥控制架构来证明。”

为了将部队能力与国际盟友整合起来，如何建立一个用于信息共享和决策的联合网络被认为是实施联合联合行动计划的关键。

布伦森说：“要实现这一目标，我们需要接受合作中的摩擦，这将是我们取得真正进步的标志。我们必须在和平时期的环境中对我们的网络、软件和战术协议进行压力测试，这些环境要刻意模拟现代战争的混乱局面。”

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

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