Page 215 - 2020 Defence White Paper

The two countries will continue to develop strategic documents in a way that
further strengthens the ROK–US alliance and the combined defense system, while
the strategic documents will continue to be refined through combined certification
assessment until they are finalized at the time of wartime OPCON transition.

Acquiring Capabilities to Lead In conjunction with Defense Reform 2.0, the
Combined Defense ROK Armed Forces is making systematic
efforts for the early acquisition of military
capabilities needed to lead the combined defense and the alliance̕s comprehensive
response capabilities against North Koreas nuclear and missile threats. In particular,
̕
the MND allocated approximately KRW 300 trillion for the 2021-2025 Defense
Midterm Plan and endeavors to reflect all the requirements for the buildup of key
military forces for wartime OPCON transition by continuously increasing the
portion of the national budget earmarked for improving defense capabilities.
The ROK and the US meticulously review the assessment results of the conditions
for the wartime OPCON transition by holding a special Permanent Military
Committee (sPMC) every year in order to improve the credibility of the assessment Chapter 6
18)
of conditions for wartime OPCON transition. In particular, the sPMC was convened
five times in 2019 where the two countries affirmed the ROK critical military
capabilities, and in 2020, the two sides mainly assessed the alliance’s comprehensive
response capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. As such, the
ROK and US will carry on with their efforts to pursue wartime OPCON transition
in a stable manner and take the initiative in responding to omnidirectional security

threats by acquiring, at an early stage, the military capabilities necessary for leading
the combined defense and the response capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear
and missile threats.

ROK–US Combined The ROK and the US have been assessing and
Certification Assessment refining F-CFC’s mission execution capabilities
through the three-stage process of combined
certification assessment. In order to enhance the objectivity and fairness of the
results, the two countries formed a combined assessment group to conduct an
evaluation based on the same criteria. 18)
A four-star level military
In 2019, the ROK and the US successfully implemented the IOC certification committee between the
ROK JCS Chairman and
assessment (stage 1) through systematic preparations. To conduct a IOC certification the Senior US Military
Officer Assigned To Korea
assessment, the two countries enhanced the ROK–US Combined Certification (SUSMOAK) to evaluate
the OPCON transition
Group’s capacity to assess by conducting a rehearsal during Dong Maeng exercise conditions

Chapter 6. Developing a Robust ROK–US Alliance that is Mutually Complementary and Promoting Defense Exchanges and Cooperation 213