On March 11, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu‑baek visited the site of the U.S.-South Korea combined exercise Freedom Shield and urged officials to make thorough preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).
The Ministry of National Defense said Ahn received an update on the FS exercise at the Defense Command Headquarters and stressed that preparations to restore operational control should be pursued rigorously, with the aim of completing Full Operational Capability (FOC) verification for the Future Combined Forces Command by 2026.
The evaluation and verification process for the OPCON transfer consists of three phases: Initial Operational Capability (IOC), Full Operational Capability (FOC) and Full Mission Capability (FMC). Seoul and Washington have completed the FOC assessment and are now in the verification phase.
At the Combined Air Component Command, Ahn was briefed on the combined defense posture by the Republic of Korea Air Force operations commander and the commander of the U.S. Seventh Air Force in Korea.
Ahn said the U.S.-South Korea alliance, forged in blood, remains the bedrock of the Republic of Korea's security, and he emphasized the need for close, continuous communication between the two militaries.
He also visited the Air Force Operations Command's Space Operations Center, where he underscored that space-based surveillance and reconnaissance are core capabilities that will shape the future battlefield. He called for sustained U.S.-ROK cooperation to further develop those operational capabilities.
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