Vincent Brooks, a former commanding general of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), believes that South Korea and the United States must continue their joint military exercises this spring to maintain combined readiness, even as the government here is exploring ways to suspend the annual drills or at least keep them as low-key as possible.
He also thinks that the allies have some way to go before Seoul takes over wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops from Washington, dashing President Moon Jae-in’s hopes for the transition before his term ends in May 2022.
“Exercises have continued with adjusted scope, scale, timing and communication volume. They must continue to ensure the readiness of the alliance,” Brooks said in a written interview with The Korea Times.
He served as commander of the USFK, the United Nations Command (UNC) and South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) from April 2016 to November 2018. Brooks retired from active duty in January 2019.
“Military readiness is essential to deterrence signaling and being able to take risks during periods of negotiations. I believe the Joe Biden administration will recognize the value of readiness and will question the value of halting training,” he added.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the decision by former U.S. President Donald Trump who thought the “war games” were costly and provocative, large-scale combined exercises have been suspended or down-sized. In addition, the Moon administration wants to skip or curtail the springtime drills for fear of provoking North Korea, which denounces them as a rehearsal for an invasion, amid deadlocked inter-Korean relations.
Although Defense Minister Suh Wook said last week that the allies will stage the exercises, Unification Minister Lee In-young has repeatedly called for a “flexible solution” to the issue to ensure that they do not lead to serious military tension on the Korean Peninsula, out of concern that the drills would give the North a pretext for provocative actions such as long-range missile tests.
However, the Biden administration seems committed to maintaining military readiness via the exercises. “We recognize the value of training and exercises to keep forces ready, and no place is that more important than on the Korean Peninsula,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a briefing last week.
Seoul not ready for the OPCON transition
With regard to South Korea’s pursuit of OPCON by 2022, Brooks, now the chairman of the Korea Defense Veterans Association, was skeptical about the plan, saying the country was not prepared yet.
“Seoul is not ready to meet the established and agreed-to conditions for wartime OPCON transfer. Seoul must accelerate the attainment of conditions, not fix a date for attainment,” Brooks said.
For the OPCON transfer, which the South regards as restoring the nation’s military sovereignty, the two countries have been utilizing a three-phase verification process of initial operational capability (IOC), full operational capability (FOC) and full mission capability (FMC). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they failed to fully assess the FOC last year, raising speculation that the transition may not meet the self-imposed deadline.
Critics, including Gen. Robert Abrams, the current USFK commander who succeeded Brooks in November 2018, say it should be done carefully and not rushed to meet a political timetable.
Brooks agreed with his successor.
“The transition should occur when conditions are met. Importantly, Seoul must prepare generals to command American forces. The approach to military command is different in the two countries,” Brooks said.
After the OPCON transition, a South Korean general will lead the future Combined Forces Command (CFC), with a U.S. general as their deputy.
“OPCON transition has no effect on matters of sovereignty and must not be manipulated as such,” he added.
