South Korea has launched a comprehensive rebuild of its joint command-and-control system with the United States, placing artificial intelligence at the center of efforts to sharpen allied operational planning and execution on the Korean Peninsula.
Hanwha Systems, appointed prime contractor in December 2025, is spearheading the upgrade of the Allied Korea Joint Command and Control System (AKJCCS) with backing from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Deployment of the modernized system is planned for 2029.
The overhaul will introduce AI-powered situational analysis, automated decision-support functions, cloud computing infrastructure, and virtual desktop environments to enable faster information flow and command responsiveness. Additional capabilities will include real-time language translation, advanced teleconferencing, and enhanced cybersecurity to strengthen coordination between U.S. and South Korean forces amid increasingly dynamic battlefield conditions.
This modernization effort aligns with Seoul’s broader push to assume wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S.-led Combined Forces Command by 2030. Although it does not mark an immediate handover, the upgraded AKJCCS addresses one of Washington’s core conditions for transition: credible and resilient command-and-control performance.
Originally introduced in 2015, AKJCCS interfaces directly with the U.S. CENTRIXS-K network and functions as the backbone of allied information sharing and operations. By the end of the decade, South Korea aims to field an AI-enabled command platform capable of rapid data fusion, automated decision-making, and more agile execution of combined operations—marking the country’s first indigenous C2 system to incorporate AI-driven situational awareness and decision support.
