The Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command hosted the 2026 ROK-U.S. Combined Warfighting Forum Sept. 16 at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, bringing together approximately 200 senior military leaders and experts to discuss combined warfighting approaches and capability development for the Korean Peninsula. The forum focused on Combined Joint All-Domain Operations, CFC’s theater-level operational concept for integrating capabilities across the land, maritime, air, space, cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum domains.

U.S. Army Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, commander of CFC, delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony. CFC Deputy Commander Gen. Kim Sung-min also delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of developing a common combined, joint and all-domain mindset and maintaining interconnected communications.

The forum brought together Gen. Jin Yong-sung, chairman of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff; former CFC commanders and deputy commanders; senior leaders from the combined component commands; and military experts from industry, academia and research institutions.

CJADO expands traditional approaches to land, maritime and air operations by incorporating space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum. The concept is designed to integrate operations and capabilities across domains through advanced command-and-control systems to address the evolving security environment and changing character of warfare.

Retired ROK Army Lt. Gen. Chun In-bum, former commander of the ROK Army Special Warfare Command, moderated the first session, while U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, CFC chief of staff, moderated the second.

The first session, titled “CJADO Concept and Capability Development,” examined the U.S. military’s Joint All-Domain Operations concept and its application within the combined ROK-U.S. environment.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Casey L. Miller, U.S. Army Futures Command, presented an overview of JADO, including its definition and key concepts, and discussed considerations for developing CJADO as an extension of JADO into a combined operating environment.

The discussion also examined how CJADO should evolve to address the unique operational environment of the Korean Peninsula and identified key enabling capabilities, including command and control, information and data sharing, and artificial intelligence.

Panelists included U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William A. Ryan, CFC assistant chief of staff for operations; Col. Matthew Skaggs, CFC deputy director for intelligence; ROK Army Maj. Gen. Choi Chang-soo, director of combat development, ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff; Professor Han Sang-geun, Joint Forces Military University; and Kim Jung-soo, managing director of Anduril Korea and a retired ROK Air Force brigadier general.

The second session, titled “Challenges and Solutions for Implementing CJADO,” focused on the challenges associated with implementing the concept and the evolving role of commanders in an all-domain operating environment.

Ahn Byung-oh, a researcher with the Defense AI Policy Research Division at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, presented on the subject before former CFC commanders and a former deputy commander joined a panel discussion.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Robert B. Abrams and retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, both former CFC commanders, and retired ROK Army Gen. Ahn Byung-suk, former CFC deputy commander, shared their experiences and perspectives on the competencies required to operate in an environment where large volumes of information and diverse warfighting capabilities must be integrated across multiple domains.

The perspectives and recommendations exchanged during the forum will inform CFC’s continued development of the CJADO concept and the combined capabilities required to implement it on the Korean Peninsula.

CFC will continue to strengthen combined warfighting capabilities and interoperability to maintain a strong combined defense posture and safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The continued integration of ROK and U.S. capabilities across domains reinforces the cohesion and interoperability of the ROK-U.S. military alliance and supports the combined force’s ability to respond to an evolving security environment.