U.S. demands inclusion of ‘enhanced communications performance’ in OPCON assessment…Concern that President Lee’s ‘transfer within his term’ could be delayed - 경향신문
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U.S. calls for the ‘SATURN project’, whose full operational fielding completes in 2032
“Delays are inevitable if the U.S. keeps adding new evaluation factors”
On the 15th, the government announced the schedule for the large-scale ‘2026 Hoguk Exercise’, which will integrate and operate multi-domain joint forces across land, sea, and air to strengthen self-reliant defense capabilities under ROK military lead and enhance combined operational performance. The photo shows Camp Hovey, a U.S. military base in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 15th. Moon Jae-won
It has been confirmed that around midyear, the United States requested during consultations on the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) with South Korea that strengthening air-ground communications capabilities through the combat radio performance upgrade (SATURN·Saeteon) project be included as a new assessment criterion. Accordingly, the government plans to first complete portions of the SATURN project directly linked to OPCON evaluation so that the transfer schedule is not disrupted. However, some within the government warn that if OPCON transfer evaluation factors are repeatedly added, the plan to complete the transfer within the current administration’s term could be undermined.
According to reporting compiled on the 26th, the U.S. is understood to have requested around midyearciting the need to strengthen ROK-U.S. combined operational capabilitiesthat enhancements to air-ground communications via the SATURN project be included among the assessment criteria for OPCON transfer.
South Korea is reportedly moving to prioritize and complete the tasks within the SATURN project that are needed for evaluating the conditions for OPCON transfer, in line with the U.S. request. The SATURN project’s final full operational fielding timeline (2032) does not align with the 2028 target widely known as the goal for transfer within the current term. The government plans to bring forward and finish certain efforts tied to the OPCON evaluation by 20282029 so that pursuing the transfer within the term will not be hindered. The government has set 2028, within President Lee Jae Myung’s term, as the target timing for OPCON transfer.
The SATURN project is a program to fully replace communications networks with a next-generation system that meets U.S. military and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards. NATO members including the United States have been replacing existing equipment with SATURN radios that apply next-generation digital frequency-hopping, thereby enhancing security and anti-jamming (protection against electronic interference) functions.
To improve ROK-U.S. combined operational performance, South Korea has also been pursuing, from 2022 to 2032, a project investing over 2 trillion won to upgrade the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps’ air-ground radios to the SATURN standard. As the radio systems the ROK military has used for years have aged, they have been considered vulnerable to enemy jamming attacks or interception attempts that disrupt wireless communications, and they are being replaced.
As the United States first shifted its communications system to the SATURN standard, it appears to have requested, under the banner of combined ROK-U.S. operations, that strengthening air-ground communications under the SATURN project be newly included among the evaluation criteria for OPCON transfer. A defense industry official said, “Given how important radios and other communications systems are in ROK-U.S. combined operations, once the U.S. and NATO have changed their communications systems, there is an aspect in which South Korea has little choice but to follow.”
Some within the government express concern that if the United States keeps adding to the OPCON transfer evaluation criteria, the plan could be derailed. A government source said, “If the U.S. changes the evaluation standards for one weapon system after another and keeps adding performance-enhancement demands, the timing of the OPCON transfer will inevitably be delayed.”
Cho Yong-geun, former Director-General for North Korea Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, said, “The United States once pledged ‘complementary capabilities’the continued provision of military capabilitiesto strengthen ROK-U.S. combined defense capabilities,” adding, “But now it is giving the impression that OPCON transfer is impossible unless the ROK military’s capabilities are filled to 100%.”
The Ministry of National Defense stated, “The combat radio performance upgrade project has been continuously pursued to enhance the combined defense posture and strengthen our military’s capabilities,” and added, “Regardless of their veracity, matters under discussion related to OPCON are restricted from disclosure.”
Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol is expected to hold his first meeting since taking office with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus to be held in the Philippines on the 29th. Minister Kang is expected to coordinate ROK-U.S. differences over OPCON during this meeting with Secretary Hegseth.
Meeting with reporters at the Ministry of National Defense complex in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the day, Kang said, “(During the talks) we will discuss aspects related to the ROK-U.S. alliance, and I expect the issue of OPCON transfer will naturally come up as well,” adding, “I will consult closely.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s comprehensive audit that, regarding OPCON transfer, he heard from the U.S. side that “the timing and content are converging through communication.” Asked whether he believes the conditions for OPCON transfer have been met, he said, “Our military authorities see it that way and are expediting the restoration of OPCON.”
