According to The Chosun Ilbo, Clinton Administration Defense Secretary William Cohen (now chairman of the Cohen Group in Washington) expressed the opinion recently at a Washington meeting that the transfer of military command and control to South Korea would not include air force assets. Attending the meeting was South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who must not have been pleased. A US Embassy official in South Korea, making the same claim a week earlier, has been denounced by his own embassy. The South Korean Defense Ministry and the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports the newspaper, have denied the separation of control rumors. At latest word, Washington wants a speedier turnover than Seoul, but discussion continues.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.