(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyo-jung = Commander of U.S. Forces in Korea Xavier Brunson said on the 16th, "The United States' commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea is unwavering," and emphasized the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) based on firm conditions.
Commander Brunson said this in his keynote speech at the '2026 ROK-US Joint Warfighting Forum' held by the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) at the Defense Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul this afternoon, saying, "The ROK-US alliance remains the cornerstone of peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the Pacific region."
He emphasized, "As we move toward future milestones, we will ensure that the OPCON transition is firmly pursued in a conditions-based manner, fueled by strong ROK military-led capabilities and a safe regional security environment."
“Our willingness to innovate, adapt and act outside our comfort zones will be our ultimate shield throughout this process,” he added.
So far, Commander Brunson has shown a cautious stance prioritizing meeting the conditions for OPCON transfer, such as saying to the U.S. Congress, “Political expediency should not outweigh the conditions (for OPCON transfer).”
In his keynote speech that day, Commander Brunson also emphasized the urgency and importance of implementing Combined Joint All Domain Operations (CJADO), a combat performance concept that the Combined Forces Command is developing in response to the changing security environment and war patterns.
CJADO is a concept that expands the operational scope that was previously centered on the Army, Navy, and Air Force to include space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum, and seeks convergence effects by integrating and operating operational activities in all these areas based on an advanced command and control system.
It is also a concept for effectively adapting to the modern conflict environment that unfolds simultaneously in all areas, including land, sea, air, space, cyber, and cognitive.
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has adopted the Joint War Area Operations Concept (JADO), and CJADO can be said to be applied to the ROK-U.S. combined forces in the Korean Peninsula theater.
Brunson referred to "the weight of the region's rapidly changing security landscape, from ongoing provocations on the Korean Peninsula to multi-layered challenges across the Pacific," and emphasized that this strategic environment "requires more than routine diplomacy."
“We must face an uncomfortable truth,” he said, pointing out that “the traditional methods of warfare segmented by domain and (existing) comfortable bilateral practices are completely inadequate to respond to modern evolving threats.”
He then mentioned the interoperability required for CJADO and emphasized, "We do not have the luxury of time. Interoperability must be proven today through real-time data sharing, sensor-shooter linkage, and a joint command and control (C2) system that operates perfectly in a cloud environment."
“When South Korean or U.S. military sensors detect a threat, we must be able to respond together without being delayed by interpretation procedures or political delays,” he said. “To achieve this, we must be willing to accept the friction of the collaborative process.”
Commander Brunson also cited an unapproved unmanned aerial vehicle system crossing the Military Demarcation Line at low altitude as an example.
For example, if a Korean military ground observation station or radar detects an unmanned aerial system, the tracking data should not be limited to 'bureaucratic procedures or manual reporting' but should be immediately transmitted to the combined air defense and electronic warfare units. “This should allow joint systems to neutralize the threat before it reaches the metropolitan area,” Brunson explained.
Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek emphasized in a congratulatory address read by Woo Kyung-seok, Director of Policy Planning of the Ministry of National Defense, "Now we cannot guarantee victory with superiority in one area alone," and "we must connect the capabilities of each area as one and gather them at the time and place when they are most needed to maximize the effect."
He said, "Korea will continue to play a more leading role in the defense of the Korean Peninsula, while unwaveringly strengthening its combined defense posture through close cooperation so that we can fight and win together in future battlefields."
