Page 214 - 2020 Defence White Paper

response capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and the
three-stage combined certification assessment of the Future Combined Forces
17)
Command’s (F-CFC) mission execution capabilities. In 2018, the two countries
agreed on the basic framework of the combined defense system and future command
structure that will be applied after wartime OPCON transition, and in 2019, the two
sides primarily assessed the ROK critical military capabilities and conducted an
initial operational capability (IOC) certif cation assessment for F-CFC.
In 2020, the ROK and US carried out key tasks for wartime OPCON transition,
focusing primarily on evaluating the alliance’s comprehensive response capabilities
against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and conducted a rehearsal for FOC
certif cation assessment of F-CFC through the 20-2 ROK–US combined exercise.
The ROK Armed Forces plans to thoroughly consider changes in the security
situation on the Korean Peninsula and expeditiously expand their defense capabilities
necessary for wartime OPCON transition, thereby expediting the consultation
procedure to enable the transition when the conditions are met.

2. Systematic and Proactive Pursuit of Conditions-Based Wartime
OPCON Transition

Development of Strategic For an expeditious transition of wartime OPCON
Documents on the basis of the robust ROK–US alliance, the

ROK and US are in the process of developing
strategic documents that def ne the F-CFC’s command structure, missions, and roles.
At the 50th SCM in 2018, the ROK Minister of National Defense and the US
Secretary of Defense agreed to maintain a structure similar to the current CFC
structure after wartime OPCON transition and have a ROK four-star General
Admiral serve as the F-CFC commander. The defense authorities have been
developing strategic documents that regulate the ROK–US combined defense system
after wartime OPCON transition. At theROK Minister of National Defense-US
Secretary of Defense meeting in June 2019, the two sides agreed to have "a separate
ROK four-star General Admiral who is not the Chairman of ROK JCS" execute the
17) duties of the F-CFC commander, determining the basic framework of the F-CFC
Stage 1: Initial Operational
Ability (IOC) certification command structure. In 2020, after developing the F-CFC commander’s authorities,
assessment ª Stage 2:
Full Operational Capability roles, and responsibilities in detail to ensure the F-CFC commander’s mission
(FOC) certification
assessment ª Stage 3: Full execution capabilities, the ROK and US agreed on a single set of draft bilaterally-
Mission Capability (FMC)
certification assessment. agreed upon Strategic Documents for the FOC certif cation assessment.

2020 Defense White Paper