Seoul and Washington Agree on Draft Structure for Post-Transfer Combined Command

South Korea and the United States have agreed on a provisional structure for their combined military command after the transfer of wartime operational control, marking a concrete step in a long-running effort to reshape alliance command arrangements.

Gen. Kim Seong-min, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, disclosed the draft agreement during a parliamentary audit on Wednesday. He said the structure would be finalized during the Full Mission Capability assessment, one of the remaining stages in the conditions-based transfer process.

The command is expected to retain its official English name, Combined Forces Command. Korean officials sometimes refer to the planned organization as the future CFC to distinguish it from the current command structure. Under the envisioned arrangement, a South Korean general would lead the combined command after Seoul assumes wartime operational control, reversing the current leadership structure under a U.S. commander.

Kim emphasized that the two allies have already agreed on a provisional framework, while acknowledging that it remains a draft rather than a final configuration. His remarks came in response to questions from opposition lawmaker Han Ki-ho about whether Washington had accepted Seoul’s proposed structure.

The disclosure provides additional detail on a process that has moved forward through joint military assessments rather than according to a fixed deadline. South Korea’s Defense Ministry aims to complete Full Operational Capability verification at this year’s Security Consultative Meeting and identify a target year that can be recommended for the transfer. The Full Mission Capability assessment and verification would follow that stage.

Kim also rejected suggestions that the Combined Forces Command could be dissolved after the handover. He said existing bilateral agreements call for a post-transfer combined command to be established and maintained, preserving an integrated command mechanism for the defense of South Korea.

The operational control issue has remained one of the most consequential questions in the alliance. South Korea transferred operational control of its forces to the U.S.-led United Nations Command during the Korean War and regained peacetime control in 1994. Wartime control remains with the commander of the bilateral Combined Forces Command.

Both governments have linked the transfer to military capabilities, the security environment and the alliance’s ability to manage a new command system. The latest provisional agreement does not complete that process, but it indicates that Seoul and Washington have narrowed their differences over how the command would function once the transition occurs.