South Korea: The Limits of Operational Integration

‘Forged in the crucible of war’, the alliance between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States has two mottos: ‘we go together’ and ready to ‘fight tonight’. Beyond mere rhetoric, the alliance consists of a deeply integrated defence posture with a combined warfighting headquarters, bilaterally agreed-upon operational plans (OPLANs) and a 28,000-strong forward-deployed US military presence working side-by-side with half a million active-duty ROK service members. Despite this close military cooperation, the alliance finds itself in crisis. ‘The fight’ for which the alliance must prepare has changed. The return of great power competition and the dawn of the second