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Document created: 1 September 2008
Air & Space Power Journal -Fall 2008
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Senior Leader Perspectives |
Lt Gen Stephen G. Wood, USAF
Maj Christopher A. Johnson, DM, USAF
Today nearly 28,000 American warriors stand shoulder to shoulder with our Republic of Korea (ROK) allies defending freedom along the demilitarized zone. This is the most visible aspect of our commitment to a strong ROK-US alliance, born in blood when the United States came to the Republic of Korea's defense in 1950. Like any enduring relationship, the alliance has evolved since the signing of the armistice in 1953. A good example of this evolutionary change concerns the command relationships within the alliance. When the United States entered the war, the ROK president, Syngman Rhee, placed all ROK forces under the command of the United Nations Command and Gen Douglas MacArthur. This command and control (C2) arrangement remained unaltered until 1994, when the two nations agreed that the Republic of Korea would assume operational control (OPCON) of its own forces during armistice, with the commander of Combined Forces Command (CFC) authorized OPCON only during crisis and war. This evolutionary change was appropriate at the time, based on the threat and the Republic of Korea's capability. Today, the alliance is in the midst of another evolutionary change that will see the most remarkable transformation in its 58-year history.
In February 2007, the defense chiefs of the two nations agreed that on 17 April 2012, the Republic of Korea would assume responsibility for its own defense and retain full OPCON of its own forces during armistice, crisis, and war Since 1978 the war-fighting command on the peninsula has been CFC, commanded by a US general officer-currently Gen Walter L. Sharp, who is leading the transformation that will result in several monumental changes in the alliance structure. First, CFC will be disestablished. At that time, the Republic of Korea will assume responsibility for its own defense. Simultaneously, the United States will activate US Korea Command (USKORCOM), which will serve in a doctrinally correct supporting role within our alliance. Importantly, a key imperative is that CFC will remain ready to fight tonight and ensure the defense of the Republic of Korea until the moment that CFC's flag is lowered for the last time. The evolution of the security partnership adds further strength to the two-nation alliance that will serve US interests in the stability of the Asia-Pacific region for many years.1
The current CFC headquarters may appear to achieve unity of command, but in reality the US commander of CFC exercises unified command in wartime only, with continuing concurrence of the two allied nations. In fact, as is always the case in multinational operations, both nations maintain command of their forces, authorizing the CFC commander to exercise OPCON of those forces within selected parameters and reserving the right to modify missions or withdraw forces at any time (fig. 1).
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| Figure 1. Current command relationships |
In the US supporting-to-supported construct of 2012, the USKORCOM commander will exercise national OPCON over US forces in the same way the present commander of US Forces Korea maintains national command.2 The USKORCOM commander will then appropriately place committed US forces in supporting roles to Korea Joint Forces Command (KJFC), with command relationships ranging from supporting to tactical control (TACON) and with selected levels of administrative control, while maintaining US OPCON. Specific USKORCOM command relationships with US higher authorities will be determined in appropriate consultative processes and agreements within the alliance and ultimately described in a revised Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 5130 (fig. 2).3
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| Figure 2. Future command relationships |
Presently, air forces of both nations operate under the wartime OPCON of the CFC commander, which he or she delegates to the commander of Air Component Command (ACC). The organizational structure of CFC and its subordinate combined commands is straightforward, resembling a traditional organization with a vertical chain of command (fig. 3).
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| Figure 3. Air forces as part of Combined Forces Command |
Based on agreements reached during security consultative meetings, each component is currently led by either a US or an ROK component commander reporting directly to the CFC commander. The Seventh Air Force commander, Lt Gen Stephen G. Wood, leads ACC. After the Republic of Korea assumes wartime OPCON in 2012, both nations agree that the C2 of US and ROK air forces will remain under US leadership in an integrated fashion, much as it is today. The major difference lies in the future supporting-to-supported command relationships (fig. 4).
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| Figure 4. Air component in a supporting role |
The alliance's capability and will to defend the Republic of Korea from North Korean aggression has never been stronger. Well known to the reader are the advancements in US military capability over the last two decades. Less well known is the fact that the Republic of Korea has placed tremendous emphasis on modernization and military competence. The Republic of Korea is now the 13th largest economy in the world, spending approximately $24.3 billion-about 2.6 percent of its gross domestic product-on defense each year. Its military comprises 677,000 active duty personnel, equipped with the most modern military technology. For instance, nearly 40 percent of the ROK Air Force's (ROKAF) 500 fighters are F-15K and F-16 aircraft.4 However, the bedrock of the ROK military is its ground forces, with 541,000 active duty personnel and an additional 2.96 million trained soldiers in reserve. The leadership of the ROK Army is also top notch, as proven during exercise vignettes in which the CFC commander cedes control to his ROK counterpart. Consequently, from an alliance perspective, the ROK military is capable of leading the ground campaign. Thus, under the CFC transformation plan, the US military's contribution to the alliance will become more air- and naval-centric in the future.
When fully transformed, USKORCOM will be in a doctrinally correct supporting-to-supported relationship with the ROK war-fighting command, and the transformed alliance will place a premium on air, space, and cyberspace power. Flawless execution of the integrated tasking order will require placement of air, space, and cyberspace power advocates within the future KJFC headquarters. The heavy emphasis on air requires that the doctrinal concepts of the air component coordination element (ACCE) be fully adopted not only for the United States but also in an integrated fashion with our ROKAF allies. KJFC, leading as the supported organization, will benefit greatly from the collocated presence of both a USAF and ROKAF senior officer who can advocate on behalf of the combined force air component commander (CFACC). These senior officers, acting as the ACCE directors, can explain how the ROKAF and USAF can best support land and maritime operations with air, space, and cyberspace power. More importantly, because of the strong emphasis on air operations in this area of responsibility, the ACCE director can help KJFC understand how to support the air scheme of maneuver.5 A robust, integrated ACCE team, representative of the skill sets at the Korea Air Operations Center (KAOC), will support the ACCE directors. This team will be matched one for one with ROK counterparts of equivalent rank and expertise.
The emphasis on a US air- and naval-centric approach in 2012 creates a need to evaluate the current joint composition within USKORCOM headquarters. The opening days of crisis or war require that the right composition of skills be available within USKORCOM to support a major air effort. As an absolute requirement, experts in air, space, and cyberspace power from the USAF, along with air experts from the other components, should provide these skills. Today, joint manpower at Headquarters US Forces Korea is generally weighted more towards the Army than the other components due to the legacy organizational structures that required such emphasis at the time. The activation of USKORCOM in 2012 will present an opportunity to restructure the organization to meet twenty-first-century needs, and plans are under way to propose that the service mix in the future USKORCOM staff comprise a higher percentage of USAF joint officers.
The combined ROK and US air forces, formed as the ACC during crisis and war, provide the critical capability for deterring any aggression and are a decisive component for victory. Our strong relationship with our ROK counterparts reflects Seventh Air Force's deep commitment to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula. In the future, Seventh Air Force will continue to lead through the KAOC in executing the master air attack plan. After 2012, however, the CFACC will operate in a supporting-to-supported relationship to the future KJFC instead of the subordinate relationship that currently exists with CFC. The US CFACC will still receive commander's guidance from the future USKORCOM commander on the best way to fulfill the supporting role but will primarily follow KJFC's strategic guidance and intent.
The United States and Republic of Korea will evolve from a combined command structure to two separate but complementary commands that will operate in a supporting-to-supported relationship, designed to be both responsive and flexible. This relationship permits each nation to adapt in a better way to future changes in the ROK-US alliance. However, use of supporting-to-supported command structures may pose unique challenges that do not presently exist. Unity of effort, the bedrock of an effective combined organization, will have to be preserved with coordination mechanisms. The boards, bureaus, centers, and cells that USKORCOM and its components will establish as coordination mechanisms with the commands they support will preserve unity of effort in the future command relationship. Fortunately, the supporting-to-supported relationship is not a new concept on the peninsula. Commanders frequently place US forces in supporting roles to ROK forces and test them through Exercises Ulchi Freedom Guardian and Key Resolve, which will offer tougher challenges to this construct in future years. Unlike the CFC commander, the future USKORCOM commander will not have wartime OPCON of the ROK forces with which he or she establishes these supporting relationships. Each nation will retain OPCON of its respective forces, and the USKORCOM commander will remain the executive agent for all US forces on the peninsula in all phases of conflict.
The air forces represent one unique exception related to the evolution from combined to supporting-to-supported relationships as it pertains to the KAOC. This organization will remain integrated, with both nations working within the same hardened facility. The KAOC will also stay under the leadership of the USAF with a ROKAF deputy, both lieutenant generals. The United States will continue to lead the KAOC because of its premier air- and space-centric C2 and planning capabilities, which complement what is still a predominantly ground-centric ROK military. However, there will come a time when the ROKAF will be ready to lead, and the USAF fully supports increased capability, self-reliance, and flexibility for both air forces.
With the disestablishment of ACC in 2012, it will no longer exercise OPCON over ROKAF forces. Instead, the doctrinal concepts of the CFACC will provide definition for new command authorities and relationships. By joint and USAF doctrine, the CFACC will exercise TACON over those air forces offered in support. In Korea the CFACC is also the commander, Air Force forces and thus retains OPCON over USAF service component forces. The future KJFC will provide TACON of ROK air forces to the CFACC for combined air operations as executed through the KAOC. Fortunately, TACON of ROKAF forces and of those provided by the other services is all the authority required when compared to the OPCON presently retained by the ACC commander.
In an intradependent relationship, each air force would not depend entirely on the other for the successful accomplishment of a particular task. Of course, self-reliant nations still have unique strengths that, when brought together, create synergies otherwise nonexistent. This is why the alliance between our two nations is so special. The ROK Defense Ministry continues to forge intradependence in its air force with plans to increase spending on arms acquisition by 19.8 percent for fiscal year 2008. This effort will make defense-acquisition spending a total of 29.7 percent of the total defense budget.6 Three projects included in this budget increase are essential to the ROKAF's self-reliance and force modernization: the surface-to-air missile (SAM-X), the fighter-X (FX), and the early warning aircraft-X (EX).
A critical force-improvement plan for replacing 40-year-old Nike SAMs, the SAM-X project calls for the ROK Defense Ministry to procure modern SAMs from Germany.7 This effort will significantly modernize air-defense capabilities and ROKAF intradependence as well as bolster the Republic of Korea's ability to defend against an air attack now and a long-range missile threat from North Korea later. To improve ROKAF self-reliance, this project should continue on an annual basis with the goal of expanding coverage into unprotected areas as a means to reduce reliance on the US Patriot system.
The FX project, which has received much press coverage with the debut of the F-15K, reflects a tremendous success story for the ROKAF's pursuit of intradependency. In 2002 the Republic of Korea signed a contract to purchase 40 F-15Ks from Boeing, which has delivered 28 so far. The remaining inventory is due by the end of 2008. These aircraft replace portions of a significantly aged ROKAF inventory and will allow our alliance partner to perform long-range, precision-strike missions day or night, in any weather, and without escort. Some observers worry that these advanced fighters are not replacing older aircraft fast enough. Fortunately, the Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Agency completed negotiations with Boeing to buy 21 more F-15Ks before the end of 2012, when CFC disestablishment takes place. This agency also has a long-term vision to acquire about 60 stealth fighter jets, such as the F-35, by 2019. This modernization effort, especially if expanded to include advances in fighter weaponry and weapon-targeting technology, indicates the Republic of Korea's commitment to the FX project as a critical component of ROKAF intradependence.8
Another program synchronized with the retention of wartime OPCON by the ROK military in 2012 is the EX project. Of all the ROKAF modernization efforts, the ability to provide robust C2 with airborne early warning and control aircraft will represent another significant advance for ROKAF intradependence. Boeing will deliver the first 737-model early warning aircraft in 2011 and three more in 2012, along with a full complement of flight- and mission-training systems and mission support.9 This advance in C2 capability increases the ROKAF's self-reliance and enables the country to complement the much-in-demand US E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. Opportunities may exist over the long term to expand the EX program with other systems such as C2 platforms based on the moving target indicator (MTI). In April 2007, Seventh Air Force gained approval to fly several ROKAF senior leaders on a rare but insightful E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) mission from the 116th Air Control Wing over the Republic of Korea to impress upon them the value of the MTI and JSTARS C2 capabilities. With MTI technology and robust C2, the ROKAF will be able to provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting that contribute to the delay, disruption, and destruction of enemy forces. Self-reliant surveillance, reconnaissance, and C2 capabilities are within reach, should the Republic of Korea follow up on the success of the EX program with the acquisition of MTI-based platforms and completion of plans to purchase four unmanned surveillance aircraft.
Seventh Air Force and the Republic of Korea's Air Force Operations Command are truly ready to fight tonight, and we will be ready to adapt our integrated operations to a supporting-to-supported construct by 2012. Our robust exercise schedule will challenge us to perform under the new construct while optimizing our relationship with the supported KJFC through inclusion of an integrated US and ROK ACCE. Force-modernization efforts for both nations will play a significant part in our transformation agenda as we approach the disestablishment of ACC. The SAM-X, FX, and EX projects provide only a few examples of how the ROKAF is moving towards intradependence. The ROKAF's continued pursuit of self-reliance and the strong friendship between our two nations will assure the foundation for sustained peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
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Notes
1. For details on the meeting between the US secretary of defense and the ROK minister of defense, see US secretary of defense to commander United States Forces Korea, memorandum, subject: US Forces Korea Transformation Guidance, 4 July 2007.
2. See Joint Publication (JP) 0-2, Unified Action Armed Forces (UNAAF), 10 July 2001, chap. 3, "Doctrine and Policy for Joint Command and Control," http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp0_2.pdf; and JP 3-16, Multinational Operations, 7 March 2007, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp3_16.pdf.
3. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 5130.01C, Relationships between Commanders of Combatant Commands and International Commands and Organizations, 1 February 2008, outlines specific relationships and defines authorities.
4. 2006 Defense White Paper (Republic of Korea: Ministry of Defense, 17 May 2007), http://www.mnd.go.kr /mndEng/DefensePolicy/Whitepaper/index.jsp.
5. For details on the ACCE construct, see Air Force Doctrine Center Handbook 10-1, The Air and Space Commander's Handbook for the Joint Force Air Component Commander, 27 June 2005.
6. Chin Tae-ung, "Defense Ministry Seeks 20 Percent Hike in Purchase," World News Connection, 30 May 2007, 1.
7. Ibid.
8. Lee Chi-dong, "Seoul's Plan to Buy More F-15K Jets Remains Despite F-15 Grounding," World News Connection, 8 November 2007, 1.
9. "Boeing Holds E-X Conference in S. Korea," UPI Security Industry-Briefs, 6 November 2007, 1.
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Lt Gen Stephen G. Wood (BS, University of Washington; Master of International Relations, New Mexico State University; Master of National Security Policy, National Defense University) is deputy commander, United Nations Command; deputy commander, US Forces Korea; commander, Air Component Command, Republic of Korea and US Combined Forces Command; and commander, Seventh Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Osan AB, South Korea. General Wood was commissioned in the Air Force in 1974 upon graduation from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Washington–Seattle. He has served in various operational and staff assignments, including duty as an F-4 pilot, AT-38 instructor pilot, F-16 weapons instructor, and squadron operations officer. He has commanded two fighter squadrons, an operations group, a fighter wing, and the Air Warfare Center. Prior to his current assignment, he was deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs, Headquarters US Air Force, Washington, DC. He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours in the F-4, T-33, AT-38, and F-16, including 49 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. General Wood is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, USAF Fighter Weapons School, Air Command and Staff College, and National War College. |
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Maj Christopher “CJ” Johnson (USAFA; MAS, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; DM [doctor of management], University of Phoenix) is the lead transformation action officer for Seventh Air Force and Air Component Command, Seventh Air Force Commander’s Action Group. Previous assignments include assistant director of operations, 621st Air Control Squadron, Osan AB; executive officer, 607th Air Operations Group, Osan AB; flight commander, 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, Robins AFB, Georgia; and chief of mission crew systems, 116th Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. He is an air battle manager with more than 1,300 flying hours as a surveillance officer on the E-3 and E-8 and more than 1,800 hours as an air control squadron instructor mission crew commander, including 60 combat missions during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Major Johnson is a graduate of Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College. |
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University
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