Study of Republic of Korea Air Force’s Military Capability Enhancement Measures in Preparation for Wartime Operational Control Transfer

Abstract

The Republic of Korea and the United States have agreed to the terms of the Wartime OPCON Transfer contingent upon meeting specific conditions. The OPCON Transfer should lead to improved security of the Korean Peninsula while improving the ROK-U.S. combined defense capability. Hence, the Korea Armed Forces must exert efforts to acquire the capabilities and conditions required for the transfer. Further, “the United States’ supplementation and continuation capabilities” and “the provision and employment of extended deterrence methods and strategic assets” must be continued. The way to firmly maintain security over the Korean Peninsula is for the ROK military to possess capabilities required for the OPCON Transfer. Of these capabilities, ROKAF’s capability is crucial and the ISR+PGMs capabilities must be obtained without fail. Accurate information on military threats and the ability to strike those targets are prerequisites to winning wars. In pursuing the national security strategy task of “strengthening national defense capabilities based on the ROK-U.S. alliance,” with support from the general public, rational decisions on airpower requirements and the measurement of enemies’ airpower must be made at the national strategic level, to determine what it would take for the ROKAF to lead ROK-U.S. combined air operations. Concurrently, we need to be ready and be prepared to respond to the expansion of neighboring nations’ airpower capability.