New operational plans, OPLAN 2022 and OPLAN 3600-24, signed in 2024 to reflect North Korea’s nuclear-use scenarios
INDOPACOM commander highlights strong potential for ROK-U.S. cooperation in AI, shipbuilding, defense, and technology sectors
General Xavier Brunson, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command revealed on Wednesday that South Korea and the United States had signed a new combined operational plan in 2024 in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear weapons capabilities.
In a statement submitted to lawmakers during the U.S. House Armed Services Committee hearing, Brunson said that significant progress had been made in 2024 regarding the new combat readiness posture and confirmed that the two allies had signed a new combined operational plan OPLAN. These OPLANs are top-secret military strategies that outline wartime scenarios on the Korean Peninsula. He explained that the new plan is intended to help the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command better prepare for potential armed conflict, particularly in light of North Korea’s advancing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missile capabilities.
The new plan, developed in preparation for potential North Korean nuclear use, appears to refer to Combined Forces Command’s OPLAN 2022 and United States Indo-Pacific Command’s OPLAN 3600-24. Brunson stated that the forces will continue to use, improve, and train based on these plans, and added that training programs will be refined and maintained in line with the new operational plans to further enhance interoperability and integration.
During the hearing, Brunson emphasized that the Korean Peninsula is directly linked to U.S. national interests and stated that the presence of U.S. Forces Korea represents American strength. He said it deters military aggression by adversaries and imposes costs on them, reaffirming that the ROK-U.S. alliance remains the linchpin of security in Northeast Asia.
He further assessed that North Korea is expected to further develop hypersonic and multi-reentry ballistic missile capabilities in the lead-up to its Eighth Party Congress next year.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned that North Korea’s development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, along with its advanced nuclear weapons, pose a direct threat to both the United States and its allies. Paparo also noted that South Korea ranks as the fifth-largest buyer in U.S. foreign military sales and highlighted the vast potential for cooperation between South Korea and the United States in artificial intelligence (AI), shipbuilding, defense industry, and technology. Amid rising discussions led by President Trump regarding South Korea’s contribution to defense cost-sharing (covering part of the stationing costs for U.S. Forces Korea), Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh emphasized the need for allied nations, including South Korea, to expand their burden-sharing responsibilities.