RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.

 

Research and Commentary

Results:
Tag: OPCON

Thumbnail showing South Korea’s flag over a map of the Korean Peninsula, with South Korean President and former U.S. President Donald Trump on either side. Text references South Korea’s military control and the U.S.-Korea alliance, with a play button indicating a video.

March 31, 2026

South Korea Doesn’t Fully Control Its Own Military. Can Lee Jae-myung Finally Change That?

Dr. Clint Work was interviewed by The Diplomat about his seven-part "Variables of OPCON" article series.

South Korean soldiers pull security on a M3 Bridge vehicle during a wet gap crossing exercise.

Dec. 2, 2025

The Variables of OPCON: What "Conditions"?

Language around wartime operational control (OPCON) transition has evolved over the last decade, revealing important patterns and subtle (or not so subtle) shifts in position and policy.

Dr. Clint Work (right) is facing ahead in a suit and tie, with the words "ROK-U.S. Alliance: The Near Future—A Dialogue" with Dr. Clint Work's name and affiliation with the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.

Sept. 9, 2025

ROK-U.S. Alliance: The Near Future—A Dialogue with Dr. Clint Work

Dr. Clint Work joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) Dialogue podcast.

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General for the unified U.N. forces Aiding the Republic of Korea to repel the North Korean Communists, and a staff officer (right) inspecting a Communist tank, destroyed during the recent U.N. landings at Incho.

Aug. 1, 2025

The Variables of OPCON

The control rod logic, while not outwardly promoted by U.S. officials, had reemerged to shape the process around the status of wartime OPCON.