Force multipliers for Stability

FORUM Staff

Since the 1950s, the Korean Peninsula has simmered as a potential flashpoint in Northeast Asia. Tensions now threaten to boil over amid North Korea’s banned nuclear and ballistic weapons development and Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. 

Conventional military forces form the bulk of the multinational integrated deterrence posture in South Korea, enabling stability, security and a strong economy. However, should deterrence fail, smaller and less overt teams of Special Operations Forces (SOF) maintain a high state of readiness to overcome and mitigate an adversary’s potential asymmetric advantages.

If necessary, the forces can conduct specialized offensive or reconnaissance missions; provide internal defense and security assistance for partner nations; counter terrorism, insurgency and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; engage in unconventional warfare and military information operations; and carry out hostage rescue and recovery as well as humanitarian aid.

For more than 70 years, multinational SOF personnel have helped prevent conflict escalation on the Korean Peninsula thanks to the mutual defense priorities among South Korea and the United States, and their many Allies and Partners’ shared interests in a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific.

Power of Partnership 

The Korean War, which began when communist North Korea invaded its southern neighbor in 1950, demonstrated revolutionary and evolving SOF concepts. In the early years of the war, United Kingdom and U.S. advisors trained alongside nascent Republic of Korea (ROK) special units in Japan and on the Korean Peninsula, preparing to collect intelligence, enable tactical operations and conduct raids behind North Korean lines. Throughout, these teams were enabled and emplaced by complementary specialized units from the combined forces. U.S. Army SOF first saw combat in 1953 with the deployment of Soldiers for operations with partisan forces behind enemy lines. Thus, the ROK-U.S. SOF partnership began its storied and enduring history. 

After an armistice signed in July 1953 ended hostilities, the focus shifted to developing and preserving a credible deterrent force that included the ROK, the U.S. and other regional nations. This collaboration continued throughout the decades of the Cold War and is solidified today through multinational exercises and joint rotations. Special operations efforts enable senior leaders with options across all phases of competition or conflict, gain advantages for conventional forces to exploit, and buy time for decision makers to leverage the most advantageous political or diplomatic outcome possible. These efforts also are enabled by credible training and combined operations.

The creation of the U.S. Forces Korea Special Operations Command in 1988 further institutionalized this partnership. The subsequent cooperation between the two nations’ SOF has deepened, with its key focus on the ability to conduct combined operations through training, planning, and command and control drills.

SOF have been involved in strategic competition since 1942, U.S. Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, told the House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee in March 2024. “These eight decades make your special operations tailor-made for this era. … Integrated deterrence and strategic competition are in our DNA,” he said.

Integrated Deterrence 

The last time the North Korean People’s Army believed it had an advantage in combat power, its troops flooded south and sparked a war that cost millions of lives. This instance is not unique. Even in today’s strategic environment, Russia uses brute force as a bargaining tool. However, the Ukrainian people’s ability to resist a military once thought to be among the world’s strongest offers a reason to invest in a credible deterrent force in South Korea.

The decadeslong ROK-U.S. Alliance serves as a cornerstone for broader Indo-Pacific stability. Exercises such as Joint Combined Exchange Training and Expeditionary Deployment Readiness Exercises strengthen the bilateral capacity for SOF to meet mutual defense priorities. Other regular multinational exercises, such as Ulchi Freedom Shield and Freedom Shield, are critical to maintaining readiness and upholding deterrence in Northeast Asia.

Conflict in the region is neither imminent nor inevitable, Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told U.S. lawmakers in March 2024. “This is because, whether on the Korean Peninsula, across the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere in the region, the [U.S. Defense] Department is doing more than ever to strengthen combat-credible deterrence and to prevail in conflict if necessary,” he said. “We have also reiterated our openness to dialogue to reduce risks and avoid unintended escalation. Taken together, these efforts are making significant contributions to regional security.”

Beyond the ROK-U.S. Alliance, the United Nations Command (UNC) unites personnel from 22 Allies and Partners across the globe to uphold the armistice. This long-standing collaboration has created a foundation for expanding partnerships with regional Allies such as Japan, creating a robust network of cooperation. The current security environment presents a compelling case for even closer collaboration. “The persistent [North Korean] threat looms far beyond the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and into multiple domains including cyber and space,” U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the UNC and U.S. Forces Korea, said in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2024.

North Korea’s recent collaboration with Russia, including defying U.N. sanctions by supplying artillery and ballistic missiles for Moscow’s war against Ukraine, undermines regional security, LaCamera noted. “The U.S. and the ROK will continue to stand together to maintain peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and stability throughout Northeast Asia,” he said. “This commitment is vital to stability in the region and is an example to other like-minded nations.”

This shared threat landscape has become a catalyst for closer cooperation. South Korea is increasingly receptive to expanding regional partnerships, recognizing that collective security is the best approach. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has emphasized strengthening the UNC and the ROK-U.S. Alliance to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led Camp David summit in August 2023 facilitated trilateral cooperation and information-sharing agreements among Japan, South Korea and the U.S. in response to North Korean ballistic missile threats.

Specialized Capabilities 

SOF contribute to Korean Peninsula security with a unique blend of specialized mission sets and capabilities. One crucial function is Security Force Assistance, with experienced SOF personnel training and advising partner nation forces in critical areas such as counterterrorism, unconventional warfare and intelligence gathering. This capacity building empowers partner nations to effectively address internal and external threats.

SOF also bring distinct advantages to wartime scenarios. Their low-density capabilities are highly specialized and not readily available in conventional forces. Examples include conducting high-risk, direct-action missions against high-value targets, reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines and unconventional warfare operations.

Key to unlocking the full potential of SOF is expanding combined training to include regional partners, allowing for a more coordinated response to threats. ROK and U.S. special forces personnel regularly train together. U.S. Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) also conducts exchanges with SOF personnel from U.N. member states. “With over 70 years in the making, our ROK-U.S. Alliance is one of the strongest in the world,” Brig. Gen. Derek Lipson, SOCKOR commander, said on the sidelines of a 2023 multinational training event at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. “We at SOCKOR advance that special relationship every day through training and engagements with unique special operations capabilities in mind.”

Each participating nation’s SOF offer a unique skill set that fosters a more effective and versatile combined force. Imagine a scenario where the U.S.’s SOF expertise in close air support combines with the ROK’s proficiency in urban warfare and a regional partner’s skill in cyber operations. Such a collaborative approach leverages each nation’s strengths while building trust, fostering interoperability and creating a more robust deterrent against potential adversaries. 

Expanding these partnerships with regional Allies strengthens the collective response to challenges such as North Korea’s illicit nuclear weapons program and creates a robust and versatile security architecture for the Indo-Pacific. Ultimately, strong SOF partnerships on the Korean Peninsula serve as a force multiplier for regional stability, paving the way for a secure future.