[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Former Commander Brooks' '2017 North Strike Plan' Is

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Vincent Brooks, former commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and the United Nations Command, revealed that a war nearly broke out in the fall of 2017 due to a miscalculation by North Korea during a tense period on the Korean Peninsula, Asahi Shimbun reported on the 19th.

According to the newspaper, in an interview, former USFK commander Brooks stated that as tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated, 34,000 US troops gathered in South Korea during the joint US-ROK military exercises from 2017 to early 2018, and 620,000 South Korean troops immediately prepared for combat accordingly. Brooks recalled that at that time, all military options were reviewed, and both preemptive and unilateral strikes were considered regardless of whether they were necessary.

At that time, during the 2017 "fire and fury" phase, the card under consideration was the "Bloody Nose" strategy.

The Bloody Nose strategy is divided into preemptive strike and preventive strike. For a preemptive strike, agreement between the US and South Korea is a prerequisite. If signs of North Korean war provocations are clear, the US and South Korea hold an emergency Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and Military Committee Meeting (MCM) to assess the situation. Subsequently, the South Korean government recommends to the president through the National Security Council (NSC) and obtains approval for the preemptive strike. If the preemptive strike is conducted under the right of self-defense, the National Assembly is notified but approval is obtained after the strike.

Preparation is necessary for a preemptive strike. The preparation signal is the issuance of DEFCON. DEFCON stands for Defense Readiness Condition and is an operational term meaning "defense readiness posture against enemy provocations" on the Korean Peninsula. The levels range from 5 to 1 depending on North Korean military movements. When the highest level, DEFCON 1, is reached, mobilization is declared and wartime operations commence.

Upon DEFCON issuance, US and South Korean forces operate according to operational plans (OPLANs). The current operational plans applied in South Korea were established by the US Pacific Command and start with numbers in the 5000 series. The plans include "OPLAN 5029" for sudden changes in North Korea and "OPLAN 5027" for full-scale war preparedness. This year, a new "New Operational Plan (OPLAN) 5015" was created, integrating peacetime plans for responding to localized provocations and including preparations for North Korea’s nuclear and missile weapons of mass destruction (WMD), cyber warfare, and biochemical warfare.