Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Military holds ceremony to launch Ground Operations Command (GOC)

The GOC is a top-ranked command of ground forces, which replaces the Army’s 1st and 3rd commands and is equipped with operational command and support capabilities 
President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message; “A strong and smart defense is the core of military reform.” 
In his address, Jeong Kyeong-doo, Minister of National Defense, asked the GOC “to achieve the early launch of the Combined Ground Components Command.”

As part of the full-scale implementation of military missions to greet a new year, a ceremony to launch the Ground Operations Command (GOC) was held under the supervision of the Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo at its headquarters in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on the morning of January 9th. 

A day earlier, President Moon Jae-in had presented General Kim Un-yong, first commander of the Ground Operation Command, with the guidon of the new command. On the 9th, he sent a congratulatory message saying that “The GOC should be a hub of military reform for a stronger and smarter national defense. I hope it can strive to advance to elite forces in order to maximize the effectiveness of its operational command, and show more powerful operational capabilities with fewer troops and units.”  

The GOC combines what used to be the Army’s 1st and 3rd commands. As the top-ranked command of ground forces, the GOC is fully equipped with operational command and support capabilities because it is composed of a staff section, logistics support command, artillery brigade and ground intelligence unit, which are under its direct control, and regional corps and expeditionary corps. 

The birth of the GOC has been evaluated as the starting point for the Defense Reform 2.0 scheme, which includes the transformation of the military structure into elite forces and the transfer of the wartime operational control, and is its first significant outcome. The GOC will support a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula by deterring security threats from all directions based on its firm combat readiness and is equipped with decisive reaction capabilities that can lead to a victory in the event of an emergency. It will also function as the ‘Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Ground Component Command,’ which will command and control Republic of Korea-U.S. combined assets in conjunction with the future transfer of the wartime operational control.

The launch ceremony on Wednesday was attended by some 250 persons, including the National Assembly Defense Committee members, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province Governors, Army Development Advisory Committee members, former commanders of the 1st and 3rd Field Armies, main staff and commanders of the Ministry of National Defense, the Combined Forces Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Army. 

The launch ceremony started with attention to orders and was followed by presenting a guidon, a report on launching progress, reading the President’s congratulatory message, an address from the GOC commander, a congratulatory address from the Chairperson of National Assembly Defense Committee Ahn Kyu-baek and an address from the Minister of National Defense. 

Minister Jeong visited the command and control center of the GOC　to inspect the state of command and control system construction and the military readiness posture including current operations. In his address at the launch ceremony, Minister Jeong said that the military can keep the peace and create a new peace on the Korean Peninsula through its powerful readiness posture, and asked the GOC to achieve the early launch of the Combined Ground Component Command by strengthening the alliance based on high-tech intelligence capabilities, enormous artillery power, an efficient command system, and perfect mission implementation capabilities. 

General Kim Un-yong, who used to lead the operations division of the 2nd Operation Command, the intelligence directorate at the Army’s headquarters, the 2nd Corps and the 3rd Army, has been appointed as the first commander of the GOC. He is an expert in the operations, exercise and training field. In his speech at the ceremony, Commander Kim said “As the top-ranked command of ground forces to carry out joint and combined operations, the GOC will complete its missions to be prepared for the future of warfare, and create an advanced barracks culture." 

By Sang-Yun, Kim < ksy0609@dema.mil.kr >

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