War Time US-ROK Command Talks Set

The slow dismantlement of the USFK continues:

The Defense Ministry said yesterday that Seoul and Washington will begin talks next year on Korea’s wartime control of its military. Under existing arrangements, Korea’s military would fight a war under the U.S. general who heads the Combined Forces Command here.

The agreement came at defense consultations here this week; the talks will begin in February.
President Roh Moo-hyun, who has advocated more military independence from the United States, has complained publicly about those wartime command arrangements. The two nations have already agreed that the Korean military will take over several defense missions that are now U.S. responsibilities. Seoul is also planning a major shakeup of its forces, which would result in a much smaller Army but one equipped with more advanced firepower.

It is important to note that once the war time command is shifted to South Korea it is more than likely IMHO that you will see a large draw down of US forces involved in the Korean theater. The US government will never allow a Korean general to command the combined arms powers that the US possesses such as submarines, naval forces, stealth bombers, cruise missiles, etc. The ROK Army excels at infantry land warfare in their theater and that is why the ROK Army has always had the head land component commander, but never the overall command of the Combined Forces Command.

So this may actually be an opportunity for the US government to use this issue as a way of executing a good face saving withdrawal of forces from the Korean peninsula. Like they say, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.