[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo's US Visit... Will They Discuss Expanding Joint Exercises?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du is visiting the United States. During his visit, Minister Jeong plans to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to hold the South Korea-U.S. Defense Ministers' Meeting and share assessments of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

On the 18th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Minister Jeong will meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in Washington D.C. on the 24th to hold the South Korea-U.S. Defense Ministers' Meeting. This will be Minister Jeong's third meeting with Secretary Esper since his appointment.

At this meeting, the two countries are expected to discuss various alliance issues, including the transition of wartime operational control. In October 2018, at the 50th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), South Korea and the U.S. agreed on guidelines for combined defense after the transition of operational control, focusing on maintaining a future combined command similar to the current ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (with a South Korean four-star general as commander), the continued stationing of U.S. forces in South Korea, the sustained operation of the United Nations Command, and the ongoing provision of U.S. extended deterrence.

Regarding the operational control transition, Minister Jeong will explain South Korea’s efforts to achieve the transition based on conditions and plans to closely cooperate to meet the necessary conditions early, including the development of key military capabilities.

In particular, discussions are expected about the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint exercises starting next month. The two countries have finalized the timing of the '20-1' joint exercise, which replaces the Key Resolve (KR) exercise, for early March. Although the timing has been set, South Korea and the U.S. maintain that the schedule and scale can be adjusted depending on North Korea’s provocations.

The joint exercise, scheduled to last 10 days from early March, will begin with the Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), which serves as a preparatory phase, followed by the Combined Command Post Training (CCPT). The CCPT is a "war game" conducted through computer simulations without actual troop or equipment mobilization. The exercise names have also been changed: since the second half of last year, the Crisis Management Exercise (CMX) has been renamed CMST, and the Combined Post Exercise (CPX) has been renamed CCPT. The term "alliance" has also been removed. This change reflects sensitivity to North Korea’s strong criticism linking the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises with North Korea-U.S. denuclearization talks, aiming to avoid provocative names.

The '20-1' joint exercise this year has significantly reduced the number of participating troops and duration, similar to last year. Typically, the joint exercise follows an operational plan progressing through crisis creation (CMST) → limited provocation → war initiation → troop reinforcement → counterattack operations → conclusion. Since CMST plays a role in setting the stage before the main exercise phase, it is not included in the official joint exercise schedule. Therefore, the exercise has traditionally been divided into two parts?defense and counterattack?over two weeks. However, this year, the counterattack operation scenario has been removed, reducing the exercise duration to 10 days.

Additionally, the ministers from both countries are expected to discuss issues such as the Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), performance improvements and environmental impact assessments related to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, and responses to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Minister Kim plans to use this visit to express gratitude for the sacrifices and dedication of veterans by visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park and U.S. veterans’ nursing homes, marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War this year.