Page 90 - 2020 Defence White Paper

would be expeditiously completed as soon as the site was administratively and operationally suitable.
Both sides also pledged to work together to carry out the CFC Headquarters relocation with purpose in
a safe, seamless, and effective manner.

11. The Secretary and the Minister reviewed the progress on directed tasks from the Conditions-based
Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Plan (COTP). The two sides noted progress made in the COTP
and discussed the way forward for wartime OPCON transition to the Future Combined Forces Command
(F-CFC) including the FOC certification. The two leaders reaffirmed that the conditions stated in the
mutually agreed COTP must be fully met before the wartime OPCON is transitioned to the F-CFC. The
two sides also reaffirmed the intent to comply fully with the 2015 COTP Base Plan as well as the 2018
COTP Change One. The Secretary and the Minister positively noted the development this year of a
single set of bilaterally formulated strategic documents for use in the assessments of Initial Operational
Capability (IOC) and Full Operational Capability (FOC) for F-CFC. They further applauded the efforts of
the Alliance to complete the F-CFC IOC certification assessment during the Crisis Management Staff
Training (CMST) this Fall and the Secretary also noted the necessity of updating the 2016 Crisis
Management Memorandum of Agreement (CM MOA) by the end of the year.

12. The Secretary and the Minister acknowledged that great progress had been made toward meeting
the conditions for wartime OPCON transition through US–ROK joint efforts. The two sides noted multiple
Permanent Military Committee Meetings (PMCs) on COTP topics were held in 2020 and concurred that
the activities of the PMCs promoted the credibility of the evaluation and understanding of the conditions.
The Minister reaffirmed that the ROK military will continue to acquire defense capabilities established in
the conditions-based plan signed in 2015 and its change in 2018, and would pursue the plan’s
objectives in a systematic manner. The Secretary and the Minister also affirmed the necessity to
cooperate closely to strengthen the Alliance’s combined defense capabilities and committed to
continuing efforts to meet the conditions for transition through a joint study on bridging and enduring
capabilities. The Secretary committed to the provision of bridging capabilities, but noted the need first to
understand ROK acquisition plans in order to determine what specific capabilities are needed, and for
how long. Owing to South Korea’s economic and military advances, the Minister noted that the ROK will
acquire, develop, and provide these capabilities, and committed to more robust discussions on ROK
acquisition planning. The Minister reaffirmed the ROK commitment to acquire appropriate defense
capabilities of the ROK military necessary for the defense of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary and the
Minister pledged to continue the joint study to optimize the bridging and enduring capabilities in
conjunction with the development of the ROK capabilities. The two sides pledged to engage in regular
evaluation and review of progress in OPCON transition implementation at the annual SCM and MCMs in
order to maintain a steadfast combined defense system.

2020 Defense White Paper