The Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), a high-level consultative body of defense authorities from South Korea and the United States, has issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).

According to the defense ministries of South Korea and the United States today (September 19), KIDD stated through the joint statement that "both sides assessed efforts to modernize the alliance in response to changes in the security environment" and "also reviewed the progress of the 'Conditions-based OPCON Transition Plan (COT)' and pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the OPCON transition."

KIDD largely serves as a preparatory meeting ahead of the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the defense ministers of the two nations in November, and the South Korean side reportedly approached the KIDD talks with "accelerating the OPCON transition" as a key agenda item.

The Lee Jae-myung administration is pursuing the OPCON transition within its presidential term as a key national policy task.

The South Korean government is reportedly assessing internally that the OPCON transition could be finalized as early as next year or the year after.

The Ministry of National Defense aims to complete the verification of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future Combined Forces Command at the SCM meeting in November and derive "Year X," the target year for the OPCON transition.

However, while the South Korean defense ministry stated in a separate briefing material during the KIDD meeting held around this time last year that "South Korea and the U.S. shared the view that substantial progress had been made in meeting the conditions for the OPCON transition," no particular explanation was offered at this meeting regarding progress in meeting those conditions.

The KIDD meeting is also believed to have addressed the issue of troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, which has recently emerged as a major security issue between South Korea and the United States.

Since the outbreak of the war against Iran early this year, the U.S. has continuously and publicly called on allies, including South Korea, to contribute military assets such as naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz.

The South Korean military had been conducting concrete reviews on a troop deployment, including dispatching an on-site survey team to the United Arab Emirates early this month ahead of the KIDD meeting, and specific discussions regarding the deployment are thought to have taken place at this KIDD meeting as well.

However, on September 18 during the KIDD meeting, President Lee Jae-myung stated at a press conference that "there will be no troop deployment that participates or intervenes in a war," and the president's declaration of "non-intervention in war" is expected to have served as a guideline for the South Korean side in discussions on the Hormuz deployment.

In addition, alliance issues such as cooperation on South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine construction, plans for joint management of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and scaling back South Korea-U.S. joint exercises may also have been discussed.

The joint statement added, "Both sides reviewed the implementation status of follow-up measures in the field of defense cooperation under the Joint Fact Sheet between the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. and the 57th SCM," and that "attendees from South Korea and the U.S. jointly visited key defense industry sites to strengthen cooperation in the areas of shipbuilding and aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO)."

The KIDD meeting took place in Busan for three days from September 16, with Kim Hong-cheol, Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy at the South Korean defense ministry, and George LeMeur, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, serving as the chief delegates for their respective sides.

KIDD is a high-level consultative body launched in 2011 to facilitate effective security consultations between South Korea and the United States.

This meeting comes about four months after the 28th dialogue held in Washington, D.C., in May.

This marks the first time that a KIDD meeting has been held in a third location outside Seoul or Washington, D.C.

The South Korean defense ministry stated that Busan was chosen as the meeting venue to emphasize both nations' commitment to shipbuilding cooperation and South Korea's shipbuilding capabilities.

In fact, George LeMeur, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, reportedly visited Hanwha Ocean's Geoje Shipyard on September 16 during the KIDD meeting to inspect shipyard facilities and warship construction operations.

(Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense, Yonhap News)