US & South Korea Officially Delay OPCON Transfer Probably Forever
Is anyone that has been paying attention to this issue surprised by this announcement?:
The United States on Thursday agreed to maintain wartime control of South Korean troops in the event of an attack by North Korea for the foreseeable future, delaying the transfer of authority to Seoul that had been scheduled for 2015.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that delaying the handoff “will ensure that when the transfer does occur, Korean forces have the necessary defensive capabilities to address an intensifying North Korean threat.”
The agreement to delay the transfer has been discussed for more than a year and comes at the request of the Seoul government. There is no longer a deadline for the transfer; instead, it will be based on the progress of the South Korean military and the ongoing situation there, including tensions with North Korea and its ongoing nuclear ambitions. [Associated Press via a reader tip]
You can read more at the link, but the only thing I am surprised about is that it took this long to reach this conclusion. One down side I see with this is that the ROKs now have less incentive now to purchase equipment to replace capabilities the US is providing for them. Anyway this whole OPCON issue had little to do with military strategy and more to do with being a reactionary response to Korean nationalism. I had reach way back in the archives, but ROK Heads can read how this whole issue began from this 2005 posting.
Another Welfare State firmly latching on to the American teat…
OPCON Delay hmm? How about you buy a few of our blingy F-35’s and maybe we’ll agree to a delay…
Were S. Korean purchases of weaponry meant to quiet US objection to OPCON postponement?
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/660524.html
US will never leave Korea for self interests.
This is a disgusting news. The US was playing the Koreans all along. They never planned to leave Korea at all in the first place, never. I knew all along what this game the Americans were playing.
Haha Tom! No matter what you say on this or any other blog site, you will never, ever be allowed to return from your coward’s exile of Canada!
South Korea will not ally itself with China any time soon. You will never receive a pardon. You will never go home.
The rest of us can breeze into and out of Korea on a whim. Real Korean food, real Korean night life, and everything else that makes Korea both awesome and frustrating. All you get is K-Dramas on streaming video, bottled kimchee, and “Korean” restaurants in Canada, most likely owned and operated by Taiwanese Chinese.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda… Starting to wish you had just done your duty, instead of fleeing your country?
😆 😆 😆 :eyeroll: :eyeroll: :eyeroll:
Traitor Tom. Just as I discount chickenhawk Vietnam draft dodgers who “serve” on the Senate Armed Services Committee and other government organs related to defense, I completely ignore any comment you make relating to military and national defense issues. If you cared about Korea’s defense so much, you might have done your duty. You have no perspective or right to speak on such issues. Enjoy your exile.
Just for clarification, when was it established that Tom had dodged conscription? Must have been before I started visiting the site.
Or are you guys just giving him shiit? Either way, I’m down.
Does this influence the USAG Yongsan relocation at all? A little? Not at all? Totally?
Marc, not in the least. The only iffy thing right now is size/composition of a residual command element that’ll work out of Seoul but be supported from a more southern location such as K-16.
Uh K-16 is still in Seoul. The southern relocation you’re referring to is down to Humphreys.
So I ask, what happened to the promise that the US will leave? Americans are the biggest liars in the face of the world.
As you’ll recall, jimbob, it is called the “YONGSAN Relocation Plan.” It is not called the “Southern Relocation Plan,” or “INSERT_WHATEVER Relocation Plan.”
You would have to ask the Korean government, Tommy. USFK is here because they want us here. Oh, sorry I forgot, you are not on good terms with your government because you are a traitor. Sorry.
There is probably some real concern for having the responsibilities of command that goes along with the authority.
I recall, after the Yeongpyeong shelling incident, some in the ROK defense ministry claimed they wanted to retaliate more robustly but they were required to get CFC commander approval. Was that just the bluster of the kid in the schoolyard saying he was about to open a can of whup-azz on the bully but his buddy was holding him back?
If a ROK general really had CFC command at the time, would he have been ready and willing to escalate that incident and risk artillery coming down on Seoul?
Not having responsibility allows people to talk a good fight. Just look at our home grown chickenhawks.