USFK Commander Emphasizes 'Meeting the Conditions' for OPCON Transfer... 'Time Is Also a Condition'

At a conversation hosted by U.S. think tank CSIS
Brunson: "We need to add capabilities, not reduce U.S. troops in Korea"
Also stresses need to deploy MDTF

Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, reaffirmed that the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea must meet previously agreed conditions, including the development of the required military capabilities.

Speaking at a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., on October 13 (local time), Brunson said of the OPCON transfer, “You can see in the joint statements issued at the Korea-U.S. Military Committee Meeting (MCM) and the Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) that the transfer is to be conditions-based. I cannot support anything that departs from the established conditions.” His remarks were interpreted as a warning of the risks of pursuing the transfer without first developing the necessary capabilities, even as he expressed support for it in principle. Brunson stressed, “I will explain to the U.S. president the risks of proceeding without fully meeting the established conditions.”

Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, delivers a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Korea-U.S. Combined Warfighting Forum, held at the Defense Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 16th of last month. Yonhap News Agency.

He also pointed to the need to strengthen military capabilities on the Korean Peninsula. “The challenge facing the Korean Peninsula is not about taking away the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed here, but about adding to them,” he said. “The Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) is highly attractive in terms of deploying the right capabilities on the Korean Peninsula.” The MDTF conducts “multi-domain operations” across all domains, including land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the U.S. military is currently pursuing a plan to relocate the 2nd MDTF, now based in Germany, to the Korean Peninsula.

Asked why the MDTF should be deployed, he cited “the ability to detect, detect, detect,” explaining that it was “about building layered detection capabilities on the Korean Peninsula.” He stressed the importance of developing capabilities in space, cyberspace and electronic warfare, adding, “We want to bring in these assets to better understand not only the operational environment on the Korean Peninsula but also the broader surrounding region.”

He went on to say, “You can draw a line on a map and see the distance from Beijing to Seoul.” The comment was interpreted as suggesting that deploying the MDTF on the Korean Peninsula would take into account the military movements of neighboring countries, including China, as well as North Korea.

He also noted that North Korea’s military threat is growing. “The threat could extend even further because of the hypersonic vehicles North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pursuing,” Brunson said, stressing that South Korea, the United States and Japan, as well as the countries participating in the United Nations (UN) Command, should respond jointly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.