In the latest on THAAD redeployment concerns from South Korea, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson confirmed on Tuesday that the full Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system stays on the Korean peninsula, while some munitions await shipment to the Middle East. The statement addresses ongoing speculations during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson assured the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that "We've not moved any THAAD systems. So THAAD still remains on the (Korean) peninsula."
"Currently, we are sending munitions forward, and those are sitting right now waiting to move," he added, likely referring to missile interceptors. The remarks respond to earlier reports, including a Washington Post article, of potential THAAD parts transfers to the Middle East amid rising tensions there—developments previously covered in concerns from South Korean leadership and U.S. asset movements like Patriots to Osan Air Base.
Brunson emphasized that "political expediency does not outpace the conditions" for transferring wartime operational control (OPCON) to South Korea, part of a conditions-based plan from a 2014 agreement focusing on Seoul's capabilities in leadership, strike, air defense, and regional security. Amid aims for a 2030 handover under President Lee Jae-myung, talks may target 2028.
He focused on "capabilities over numbers" with modernizing forces to meet evolving threats, including Indo-Pacific Command's Adm. Samuel Paparo's description of North Korea's Russia ties as "troubling."
