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US Focused on Speedy OPCON Transfer to South Korea World News Updated Jun 25, 2026 US Aims for Swift OPCON Transfer to South Korea, Says Senior Diplomat The United States is committed to ensuring conditions for transferring wartime operational control to South Korea are met as soon as possible. A senior US diplomat acknowledged Seoul's desire for a swift transfer during a House subcommittee hearing. South Korea seeks to achieve the transfer before 2030, while US military officials project a timeline by early 2029. The transfer requires conditions including Seoul's ability to lead combined forces and maintain deterrence. I IANS Jun 25, 2026 · 2 min read · 211 views Save Listen Copy US focused on ensuring OPCON transfer conditions will be met 'as soon as possible': Senior official Washington, June 25 The United States is focused on ensuring that necessary conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea will be met "as soon as possible," a senior US diplomat said Thursday, noting it "understands" Seoul's desire to retake OPCON quickly. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre made the remarks during a …

USFK aims to transfer wartime operational control to ROK by 2029 ... The commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Washington and Seoul aim to meet the conditions for transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) by 2029, as South Korea looks to take the lead in defending against North Korea. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson testified at aHouse Armed Services Committee hearingWednesday that USFK submitted a road map to the Pentagon to ensure the allies reach that target by the second quarter of the 2029 fiscal year, marking the first time U.S. authorities have publicly set a timeline for the long-delayed transition. “I think right now, given the continued investments by the © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved.No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Joon Ha Park is a correspondent at Korea Risk Group. He has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report, and appeared on ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and Monocle Radio. He specializes in offering in-depth analyses of South Korea’s defense policy, security relations a…

OPCON transfer to South Korea: US vows to meet conditions 'as soon as ... Share: Copied Listen to Article Audio Loading voice… 0.85× 1× 1.15× 1.3× 1.5× Synopsis Washington says it wants OPCON transferred to South Korea ‘as soon as possible’ — but the US military’s own timeline points to early 2029 at the earliest, while Seoul is pushing for as early as 2026. The gap between political will and operational readiness is now the defining fault line in one of Asia’s most consequential alliance arrangements. Key Takeaways Assistant Secretary Michael DeSombre told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on 25 June that the US is focused on meeting OPCON transfer conditions ‘as soon as possible.’ The transfer is governed by a conditions-based framework requiring South Korea to demonstrate leadership of combined forces, strike capability, and air defence readiness. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s administration aims to complete the transfer before its term ends in 2030 , with some Seoul officials eyeing as early as 2026 . US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson has set a more conservative target: conditions met by no later than Q1 2029 . South Korea has held wartime OPCON since t…

Defense chief to propose target year for wartime OPCON transfer to S. Korean, U.S. presidents at year-end SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The target year for South Korea regaining wartime ope...

Senate defense bill includes provision calling for quarterly Pentagon ... AH-64 Apache helicopters are seen at Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, July 29, 2025. Yonhap WASHINGTON — A Senate version of an annual U.S. defense bill includes a provision calling for the defense secretary to provide regular reports on a road map for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Korea, its text showed Thursday. The inclusion of the provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027 apparently signals the upper house's will to examine the OPCON transition process, which the administration of Korean President Lee Jae Myung seeks to complete before its term ends in 2030. It stipulates that by no later than March 1 next year and every 90 days thereafter through 2030, the Pentagon chief should provide the appropriate committees of Congress with a report on the road map for the implementation of the conditions-based OPCON transition, which the allies signed in 2018. The report should include the assessment by the U.S. Pacific Command commander and the U.S. Forces Korea commander regarding the conditions that must be…

US-Korea Wartime Command Transfer Target Year Likely Set for 2028 | Summary | Save A A A South Korea and the United States are likely to propose 2028 as the target year for wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer at the 58th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) scheduled for October in Washington, D.C., sources said. According to a government source on Tuesday, the two allies plan to complete verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second phase of the OPCON transfer evaluation process, before the 58th SCM and obtain approval from both defense ministers at the meeting. The defense ministers of both countries will also discuss setting the OPCON transfer target year for 2028, before the end of President Trump's term on January 20, 2029, alongside approving the FOC verification results. By setting a specific target year for the transfer, the final phase of Full Mission Capability (FMC) verification is expected to proceed at an accelerated pace. Under this scenario, FMC evaluation and verification would begin in 2027, with the OPCON transfer, a two-decade-old alliance objective, potentially realized in 2028. "With the Trump administration releasing a National Defense…

Defense chief vows 'utmost' efforts to retake wartime command from U.S ... Defense chief vows 'utmost' efforts to retake wartime command from U.S. within Lee's term Published October 31, 2025 - 6:27 p.m. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attends a parliamentary audit of his agency at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 30, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has granted approval for Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, adding the submarine will be built at shipyards in Philadelphia. YONHAP Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday he will make the "utmost" efforts to ensure the country can retake wartime operational control (Opcon) from the United States within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term. GoogleAdmanager-KJD Ahn made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently assessed Korea's push to retake Opcon from Washington as a "great" endeavor. Related Article Opcon transfer progress top of agenda for Seoul-Washington security meeting President Lee vows to press ahead with Opcon transfer bid in Armed Forces Day speech Korea, U.S. discuss Opcon transfer during defense dialogue "The transition of wartime operational control will be pursued…

Defense chief vows 'utmost' efforts to retake wartime command from U.S ... Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attends a parliamentary audit of his agency at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 30, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has granted approval for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, adding the submarine will be built at shipyards in Philadelphia. Yonhap Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday he will make the "utmost" efforts to ensure the country can retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term. Ahn made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently assessed South Korea's push to retake OPCON from Washington as a "great" endeavor. "The transition of wartime operational control will be pursued as swiftly as possible within the current administration's term through close coordination between South Korea and the U.S., while maintaining a strong and steadfast alliance," Ahn told reporters at an airport before heading to Malaysia for a multilateral security forum. Ahn will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting-P…

U.S. focused on ensuring Opcon transfer conditions will be met 'as ... U.S. focused on ensuring Opcon transfer conditions will be met 'as soon as possible': Senior official Michael DeSombre said Washington supports Seoul’s push to retake wartime operational control quickly, while keeping the transition strictly conditions-based. Published June 26, 2026 - 9:02 a.m. This photo, taken on Dec. 15, 2025, shows Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre speaking during a conference on U.S. foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific at the State Department in Washington. YONHAP The United States is focused on ensuring that necessary conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control (Opcon) to Korea will be met "as soon as possible," a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday, noting it "understands" Seoul's desire to retake Opcon quickly. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre made the remarks during a hearing of the Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs under the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the Capitol in Washington. "There are ongoing discussions of exactly the timing [of the transfer]," he sa…

S. Korea, US review wartime OPCON transfer plan in defense talks - The Korea Times Acting Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Yoon Bong-hee, left, and John Noh, deputy U.S. assistant secretary of war for East Asia, shake hands during their defense talks in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of defense ministry. Yonhap South Korea and the United States have reviewed progress in fulfilling conditions for a plan to transfer wartime operation command (OPCON) to Seoul from Washington in recent bilateral defense talks, a Seoul official said Wednesday. The two sides discussed issues regarding their envisioned "conditions-based" OPCON transfer during the biannual Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) held in Seoul from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to officials. It marked the first such meeting under the Lee Jae Myung government, which has vowed to reclaim OPCON under his five-year term and draw up a roadmap for the move. The previous meeting took place at the Pentagon in early May. Following the review, both sides concurred that "significant" progress has been made in meeting the three key conditions set by the allies for the envisioned transfer. They require Seoul to acquire the c…

New defense chief vows efforts for firm readiness posture for peace ... New defense chief vows efforts for firm readiness posture for peace, OPCON transfer New Defense Minister Suh Wook was sworn in Friday, vowing to maintain a staunch readiness posture and fully implement an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in order to buttress the government's efforts for a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. In his inauguration speech, Suh also vowed to strive for expediting the envisioned transfer of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul based on the strong alliance with the United States. "North Korea has not willingly come forward to improve the situation on the Korean Peninsula, despite efforts by our government and the international community to have peace take root," Suh said. "By forging a firm defense posture, we will back up complete denuclearization and the establishment of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." For those goals, Suh vowed to beef up practical trainings and fully implement the military agreement with the North. Signed on Sept. 19, 2018, during an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, the Comprehens…

Seoul, Washington likely to set 2028 target for wartime command ... South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (right) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth answer questions during a joint press conference following the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2025. Yonhap SEOUL, February 04 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. are expected to set 2028 as the target year for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) at their annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington this October, reflecting growing confidence in Seoul’s ability to lead combined defense operations. According to government sources on Wednesday, the allies are considering 2028 as the most realistic timeline, aiming to complete the handover during the respective terms of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump. Ahead of the SCM, the two sides plan to complete verification of Full Operational Capability (FOC), the second stage in the three-step OPCON transition process, and seek formal approval from their defense chiefs. The transition consists of three phases: Initial Operational Capability (IOC), Full Operational Capability (FOC) and Full Miss…

"Significant Progress in OPCON Transfer, Remaining Challenges" byYoo Jaehoon bySon Seonhee Published 06 Nov.2025 11:15(KST) Significant progress has reportedly been made regarding the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) between South Korea and the United States at the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), drawing attention to the next steps and areas that require further refinement. On November 5, Defense Minister Shin Wonsik stated at the National Assembly Defense Committee’s plenary session that, when asked whether the issue of OPCON transfer was discussed during the SCM, "South Korea’s leading military capabilities have been recognized, and there has been considerable advancement in this regard." Yonhap News Previously, in 2014, South Korea and the United States agreed to a "conditions-based OPCON transfer," establishing three key criteria: ▲ the military capabilities required to lead the combined defense, ▲ the ability to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and ▲ a security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region that is conducive to a stable OPCON transfer. In addition, a three-stage process was proposed to verify the futur…

Defense chief vows to accelerate process this year to regain wartime ... Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back presides over a meeting to assess the progress of Korea's bid to retake wartime operational control from Washington, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday reiterated the commitment to regaining wartime operational control (OPCON) of Korean troops from Washington, vowing to accelerate efforts this year for the planned transfer. Ahn made the remarks during a meeting with about 170 key defense ministry officials, military chiefs and related officials to review progress on the OPCON transfer push. Korea seeks to retake OPCON, currently held by the United States, on a conditional basis within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ending in 2030. "The year 2026 should mark the starting year for restoration of wartime operational control," Ahn said. "Through the OPCON transfer, our military will be equipped with an ever stronger military readiness posture based on six component commands, leading a powerful Korea-U.S. alliance that is unprecedented in world history." The ministry plans to draw up a roadmap for the OPCON tra…