Overview
- The chairmen met at the 50th Military Committee Meeting in Seoul and said the annual assessment showed “meaningful progress” toward conditions for transferring wartime operational control to South Korea, with no handover date announced.
- They reaffirmed close coordination under the conditions-based transition plan and pledged to sustain a strong combined defense posture.
- Alliance modernization was a focus, with agreements to enhance collective capabilities, interoperability, and combined readiness to address evolving and emerging threats.
- The leaders reviewed North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile programs and its cooperation with Russia, stating that strong combined deterrence manages these risks and supports a free and open Indo-Pacific.
- Following the talks they executed the alliance’s first joint commanders’ formation flight—a five-ship of KF-16 and F-16 fighters plus a South Korean E-737—departing Osan and flying over Osan, Chuncheon, Daejeon and Camp Humphreys, with outcomes to be reported to the Security Consultative Meeting.