A rising of Standing Combined Task Force Command in Seoul: Washington’s only Strategy to settle down Seoul’s nuclear-arming & Anti-Japan resistance
A rising of Standing Combined Task Force Command in Seoul: Washington’s only Strategy to settle down Seoul’s nuclear-arming reason & Anti-Japan resistance
Dong Yon Kim
About the Author: Dong Yon Kim is the IR & PR Director of KORGAD made up of 900 Korean Retired Generals and Admirals. Kim is a former ROK Air Force Officer and former journalist of Chosun News.
The Nixon Doctrine gave South Korea a new security assurance for South Koreans from its enemy in the region, namely deterrence against North Korean nuclear arms. It prevented becoming a nuke-filled Korean peninsula not only nuke-armed North Korea but also South Korea. South Korea secretly developed its own nuclear arsenal a few decades ago is no longer a secret to Americans[1]but the concrete reason behind the path to the nuclear arsenal is still circulating somewhere in our memories especially among defense experts and old veterans and the idea is about to resurface the ground because of the current trajectory of insecurity in Northeast Asia.
The trajectory of Security in Northeast Asia: Sitting on a powder keg
Currently, Northeast Asia is sitting on a powder keg but many ignore the burning smell of the situations and many want to look at other ways or do not want to face the fact. Such a numb response is often the case of war or war-like conflict which we learned and seen through history like the Pearl Harbor or Korean War. Lately, China’s cyber and physical threats to Taiwan are one definite sign of a burning smell near the keg. A total of 19 Chinese and Russian military aircraft teamed up to intruded the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on the 22nd of December 2020 which is another warning signal. This is not their first intrusion to KADIZ. Both China and Russia intruded KADIZ in July of 2020[2] and the last year, 2019.[3] In 2019 case was severe which ended up South Korean Air Force fighters fired about 100 rounds of bullets as a last-minute warning against the adversaries. Despite the serious constant intrusions from adversaries to Seoul, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense somewhat stands by the adversaries saying “it is routine China-Russia combined exercise.”[4]
In the past, one or two Russian long-range bombers intruded KADIZ during the ROK-US combined exercises[5]so as China but never been teamed up between the two adversaries nor came with lethal fighter jets like Suhoi-35s[6]. These KADIZ-visited military crafts are not a simple surveillance visit but rather SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses)-like formations that consist of a handful amount of fighters and bombers. Intrusions with the fighter jets are rare in the entire military history which lifts the eyebrows of any security people.
Since the mid-2010s, Russia and China continue to cause military problems with the US and its allies in the region. There were many military arm-wrestling cases in recent years: the near-collision between the US and Chinese naval ships in the South China Sea in 2018[7], and the near-collision between the US and Russian naval ships in Philippines water in 2019[8], and continuous Chinese military aircrafts’ intrusion to Taiwan Air Identification Zone in 2020[9]. In addition to the current sparkling military issues, Robert O’Brien National Security Advisor to Trump has warned[10]about possible China’s attack on Taiwan in October prior to the presidential election. Also, Biden’s military advisor Retired General Stanley McCrystal warned[11]Biden about Beijing’s attack on Taipei in December after the election. Both parties of the US are signaling the red light on China.
In the 1970s, Park Chung-hee a former South Korean President secretly initiated the nuclear weapon program in order to counterbalance the North Korean nuclear arsenal and the Carter administration’s proposal of the withdrawal of the USFK at that time made President Park propel the nuclear program even harder as a survival instinct. This instinct is about to ignite over complex security mess in the region therefore Washington must settle down the tension with strategic solutions.
Recently, the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy has accumulated good credit with the allies and partners via Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) & EPN (Economic Prosperity Network) and allowed Japan Self Defense Forces to gain more muscles. Especially Japan-Australia military pact, RAA (Reciprocal Access Agreement) gave extra power to Japanese Self Defense Forces which can be useful to deter regional threats. Much speculation over such a move in Japan is an eye-catching moment for building the regional security structure like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Japan will be the centerpiece of the indo-pacific security power when the US enables the Asian NATO in Tokyo; it will reduce the security burden of the US which solely carried by the Americans for decades with pain and difficulties.
Upcoming possible resistance from Seoul to Washington
However, Washington yet to see the upcoming resistances even among its ally, South Korea which may awaken both Pro-American & Anti-American factions in Seoul. Some South Koreans still have traumatic memories over the Japanese colonization-era and once they see muscle-gained Japanese military then count them as a new threat or path to Japanese imperialism. Anti-American politicians and media will cover them as such. Washington already eye-witnessed the power of these Anti-American groups’ protests against the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) systems in South Korea. Anti-American factions often involved in the Anti-Japan movement and set up public sentiment against Tokyo then Washington which ended up broke the military ties among Korea-Japan-the US.
For Pro-American factions in Seoul will assess the recent strengthening of Japanese forces as a sign of security imbalance between Seoul and Tokyo which can ignite the survival instinct of Park Chung-hee’s reason for nuclear-armed South Korea. Even prior to the Indo-Pacific strategy, many military-related people in Korea complained about the weakened strength of the nuclear umbrella which only fixed with old-fashioned war scenarios and does not specifically guarantee assurance against the modern-day gray zone threats from enemies in the region. Many of these people do support the trilateral security alliance or such initiative with Japan but require security assurance beyond the Nixon Doctrine from Washington.
Based on this, Washington should come up with a strategic solution to calm down the future resistance from Seoul in order to bolster regional security against adversaries. If Washington failed to propose a new solution then will face political challenges from allies amid dealing with military challenges from adversaries that ended up facing nerve-hurting double troubles and the breakage of Asian NATO.
“Strategic Solution is already circumnavigating like a ship without its destination”
The strategic solution to Washington is already circumnavigating like a ship without its destination in the defense arena. It is time to dock that ship. It came from the retired US Marine Corp General Wallace ‘Chip’ Gregson during the US Naval Institute presented Defense Forum 2020[12]. During the Forum, General Gregson suggested the building of Standing Combined Task Force Command in Asia for the better functioning of the US and allies’ security capability in the region. If the US decides to build a Standing Combined Task Force Command in South Korea besides the current USFK command then it could calm down the both Pro-American & Anti-American factions’ resistances with one hand. The Standing Combined Task Force is useful and effective politically and militarily because it can serve as extra-power for the outdated Nixon Doctrine against modern-day gray zone threats from adversaries and will soothe the anxiety and historic trauma of Koreans from muscle-gained Japanese Self Defense Forces. If South Korea has Standing Combined Task Force Command then South Koreans will never resist the Asian NATO base in Tokyo because Koreans also have some power share from the US. Also, it can be viewed as a fair American Father for two Korean and Japanese kids’ eyes.
“The US Defense plan will fit with having two nimble bodies than one huge slow body”
Standing Combined Task Force Command in Seoul will perfectly fit with the US DoD’s future plan of building widely-spread smaller forces concept because it does not concentrate American Forces only in Japan but in Korea for its combined complex operations. Having two separate smaller Commands in two different countries will maximize the survivability and lethality of the US forces in the future. In case of war or conflict, if the Asian NATO Command in Tokyo disabled or malfunctioning due to unexpected challenges, Washington still can engage and execute its operations with Standing Combined Task Force Command in Seoul. Our history taught us that having a slow one gigantic body is no longer effective than having two nimble bodies in modern warfare.
Traditionally, Washington’s high officials do aware of the geopolitical importance of Korea as an entrance to communist continents. It is always better to block any challenges at the entrance gate than the inside of the house. In the worst-case scenario, South Korea will function as the landing forefront for the US Forces against China. Therefore it is better for Washington to consider Korea to have Task Force Command for the good of Americans and allies.
Abraham Accord in Northeast Asia
In the end, this Standing Combined Task Force Command will have a unique, different, and independent role from the currently functioning USFK Command because of its multinational operations characteristics which maybe require a separate Commander from the USFK Commander and have a rotational Deputy Commander from the Quad member states. Then the US and Quad states can automatically enhance their interoperability through the Command. If this Command stands on Korean soil, South Korea will gradually join the Quad and make the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to Pentalateral (5-sides) security structure and the US can request a higher role for Korea than Quad-plus role. After building Standing Combined Task Force Command in Seoul, the US can gradually weave the reconciliation accord between Korea and Japan like Abraham Accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Obviously, such an accord tightens the military relationship between both Seoul and Tokyo and multiply the deterrence against the adversaries. By that time Washington can have more time on inner politics and economy and set Americans free from Indo-Pacific insecurity and troubles.
[1] CIA document revealed South Korean Nuclear Weapon Program https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/park-chung-hee-the-cia-and-the-bomb/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20in,obtain%20reprocessing%20technology%2C%20%5B5%5D
[2] Chinese Intrusion to KADIZ https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/07/23/2019072302102.html
[3] ROK AF fired guns to intruders https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20190723/96659445/1
[4] https://www.chosun.com/politics/2020/12/22/G2OPEYMYUNC5DPQNYN2RDJXUSU/
[5] Russian Long-range bomber intruded KADIZ in 2008
https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/03/07/2008030700125.html
[6] Russian Ministry of Defense Twitter showed the scramble of its fighters and bombers.
https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/1341343199382679554
[7] Chinese unsafe maneuver to cause near collision with the US naval ship in 2018.
[8] The near-collision between the US and Russia https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russian-ship-nearly-collides-u-s-warship-philippine-sea-n1014996
[9] Chinese PLAAF planes intruded Taiwan Air https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4066440
[10] O’Brien’s warning about Chinese attack to Taiwan https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-taiwan-idUSKBN26T01W
[11] Gen. McCrystal warned about Chinese attack on Taiwan https://nypost.com/2020/12/04/joe-biden-adviser-warns-china-could-retake-taiwan/
[12] Defense Forum 2020 https://www.usni.org/events/defense-forum-washington-2020