A U.S. Marine trains in Pohang, South Korea, Aug. 6, 2025. (Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — After years of planning, the United States and South Korea have established a permanent combined ground command, a key step toward Seoul assuming wartime control of allied forces, a South Korean defense official said Monday.
The Combined Ground Component Command, which previously operated only during conflicts, was approved for standing status on Oct. 24 by the bilateral Permanent Military Committee, according to a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense.
The permanent command allows U.S. troops to serve on combined battle staffs during peacetime and improves the ability of both forces to use each other’s equipment and training methods, the spokesman said in a text message.
The command had been under assessment for permanent status since 2019, he said. Some government officials in South Korea must speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
“The [South Korea]-U.S. Alliance continues to make steady progress in strengthening its combined defense posture as part of the conditions-based transition of wartime control. These efforts reflect long-standing coordination and joint assessments between the two nations,” Jamie Choi, spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command and U.N. Command, said by email Monday.
South Korean Ground Operation Commander Joo Seoung-un will lead the newly established command. It may also contribute to combined readiness through faster information sharing and coordination of force management concepts during both wartime and peacetime, the spokesman said.
Under the arrangement, a South Korean general would lead allied forces during wartime under a Future Combined Forces Command.
Currently, an American general, who also heads U.S. Forces Korea and the U.N. Command, leads combined U.S. and South Korean forces.
The transfer of wartime operational control was agreed to in principle in 2006 but has not yet been fully implemented. It is one of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s national policy tasks.
A permanent Combined Gound Component Command “enables faster and more effective discussions between the two countries by planning wartime roles in advance during peacetime,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun said at a press briefing Friday.
The two countries are expected to hold their annual combined exercise, Freedom Shield, in March.
