Ground component of Korea-U.S. joint command becomes standing unit
Published: 09 Jan. 2026, 12:49
![Korean and U.S. troops conduct combined river-crossing drills in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, in this Nov. 20, 2025, file photo. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/09/b5d873a5-25bd-4c74-9f9a-a6469e1a2493.jpg)
Korean and U.S. troops conduct combined river-crossing drills in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, in this Nov. 20, 2025, file photo. [YONHAP]
The transition of the Combined Ground Component Command (CGCC) into a standing component command was approved in a bilateral Permanent Military Committee meeting held in late October, and the unit went into operation last month, according to the officials.
The move for the component command, previously only activated during contingency operations, allows American troops to be regularly assigned as members of a combined combat staff to jointly establish combined operation plans and plans for large-scale drills like the springtime Freedom Shield exercise.
The transition comes as Korea has been seeking to achieve the conditions-based handover of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul within President Lee Jae Myung's five-year term ending in 2030.
As part of such efforts, Seoul and Washington have agreed to seek the certification of full operational capability (FOC) of the Future CFC headquarters this year. FOC is the second part of a three-stage program aimed at vetting Seoul's capabilities to lead the allies' combined forces.
"(The move) not only strengthens the Korea-U.S. combined defense posture but marks a step closer to the conditions-based handover of wartime operational control," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said.
With the recent transition, four of the six component commands, including the air, ground and naval components, have completed their transition as standing component commands within the CFC structure.
Efforts are also underway to turn the two other commands over special operations and military intelligence support operations into permanent units.
"The ROK-U.S. Alliance continues to make steady progress in strengthening its combined defense posture as part of the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control. These efforts reflect long-standing coordination and joint assessments between the two nations," the CFC said in a statement. ROK is short for the Republic of Korea, Korea's official name.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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