[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Osan Base Searching for the South Korea-US Summit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the afternoon of the 22nd, the last day of their visit to Korea, President Yoon Seok-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will jointly visit the Aerospace Operations Command (KAOC) at Osan Air Force Base.

The KAOC, located in the underground bunker of Osan Air Force Base in Pyeongtaek, is jointly operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force and the U.S. Forces Korea Air Force. It serves as the Korean military’s ‘strategic command’ that directs and controls aerospace operations within the Korean Peninsula theater of operations. In wartime, the air force commanders of both Korea and the U.S. immediately confirm all operational situations and airspace information in real time at the KAOC combat command center, controlling all combined air operations within the Korean Peninsula theater. It is the highest-level operational command center of the ROK-U.S. Air Forces.

The KAOC also houses the 1st Central Air Defense Control Center (MCRC), known as the ‘frontline of airspace defense.’ The MCRC controls the flight paths and information of all aircraft over the Korean Peninsula 24 hours a day. The Korean military operates the 1st MCRC at Osan Base and the 2nd MCRC in Daegu to maintain a comprehensive surveillance network.

This facility is capable of conducting independent operations for over a month without external support in emergencies. It is equipped with emergency water supplies, emergency power, chemical warfare protection facilities, and a positive pressure system that continuously pushes air from inside the facility outward 24 hours a day.

While past U.S. presidents have mainly used this location as their arrival and departure point during visits to Korea, President Biden is the first to directly visit the major military units located here. President Yoon will also visit this site in person for the first time in 13 years as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, since President Lee Myung-bak’s visit in 2009.

Within and outside the military, there is an expectation that the two leaders will reaffirm their strong alliance at this key site for maintaining combined defense posture and send a powerful warning message to North Korea.