Military: "The newly established Strategic Command controls F-35, submarines, and Space Force"

Yumu-bong, Director of Defense Reform, Reveals Control Unit for the First Time
"Strategic Command to Oversee Operations of Korea's 3-Axis System"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The Strategic Command of our military, scheduled to be established next year, will control units ranging from space and cyber forces to the Air Force F-35 units and Navy submarine units. The commander of the Strategic Command is likely to come from the Army, but the Navy and Air Force have expressed negative opinions about having their core forces controlled by the Strategic Command in times of emergency.

On the 9th, Yoo Mu-bong, Director of the Defense Reform Office at the Ministry of National Defense, introduced these forces in a presentation at the 'Korea-UK Cyber Seminar' jointly hosted by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) and the British Embassy in Korea. This is the first time the Ministry of National Defense has publicly detailed the units under the Strategic Command's control.

'Cyber Warrior' Competition
Photo by Air Force

In his presentation titled "The Role of Cyber and Electromagnetic Warfare in the Development of the Three-Axis System," Director Yoo stated, "The newly established Strategic Command will control missile units, the Cyber Operations Command, space operations units, electromagnetic spectrum operations units, special mission operations units, F-35 units, and submarine units."

This is also the first time the military has disclosed the 'Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Unit.' This unit is expected to oversee electronic warfare aircraft (electronic warfare planes) and ground-based electronic warfare forces. It is also anticipated that 'electromagnetic pulse weapons' capable of disabling enemy power grids and communication networks will be deployed within this unit.

Director Yoo explained, "(The Strategic Command) will be tasked with overseeing the Korean-style three-axis system operations in response to enemy nuclear and missile threats," adding, "Currently, the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff is expanding the Nuclear and WMD Response Center and is pushing for the establishment of the Strategic Command in 2024." He further emphasized, "The electromagnetic spectrum must be developed to neutralize enemy capabilities while protecting our own electromagnetic capabilities. However, developing the technology to achieve such capabilities is very difficult, so cooperation between Korea and the U.S. is important."

In particular, Director Yoo stressed the importance of enhancing and utilizing cyber and electromagnetic capabilities to strengthen the three-axis system's capabilities. Cyber warfare can neutralize threats at the stage before the enemy launches missiles (Left of Launch), or after missile launch, it can alter programs to prevent mission success.

He also evaluated Kill Chain and KAMD as the most effective means for performing 'soft kill' (non-physical elimination). Among the Korean-style three-axis system, Kill Chain refers to the capability to preemptively strike North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and KAMD refers to the Korean missile defense system that intercepts missiles launched by North Korea.