US-Japan-ROK alliance, a bunch of frenemies

美日韩同盟互有戒备 貌合神离

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Wang Xinjuan
Time
2022-04-25 17:38:19

林源

By Lin Yuan

近年来,美国以朝鲜核问题和地区安全威胁为由,不断推动与韩国和日本的军事合作,并试图构建美日韩军事同盟。尽管在美国推动下,美日韩三国近期围绕地区热点问题,频繁展开外交和军事互动,但三方在涉及自身核心利益议题方面仍存在较大分歧,凸显了同盟体系的脆弱性。

In recent years, the US has been pushing the military cooperation with ROK and Japan on the ground of the Korean nuclear issue and regional security threats, and trying to form a trilateral military alliance with them. With America's egging, the three countries have had frequent diplomatic and military interactions recently revolving around regional hotspot issues, but they still have major divergences on issues concerning their core interests, indicating how fragile the alliance is.

三方互动频繁

Frequent trilateral interactions

近段时间,美日韩三国相继开展一系列外交和军事活动。

The US, Japan and ROK have had a series of diplomatic and military activities recently.

密集开展外交磋商。在3月10日赢得选举当天,韩国候任总统尹锡悦同美国总统拜登通了电话。次日,尹锡悦又与日本首相岸田文雄进行通话。韩联社评论称,尹锡悦致力于重建美韩同盟,改善韩日关系。

Intense diplomatic consultations

On March 10, the very day he was elected president, Yoon Seok-youl had a phone call with US President Joe Biden, and another one with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the next day, which the Yonhap News Agency said showed the president-elect's commitment to rebuilding the US-ROK alliance and improving the relations with Japan.

频繁开展联合演训。据报道,美海军“林肯”号航母4月11日驶入朝鲜半岛东部海域,这是美军航母时隔4年5个月 再次进入该海域。美海军第七舰队随后发表声明称,“林肯”号航母战斗群正在与日本海上自卫队展开联合训练。此类训练旨在加强常规威慑力量,让地区盟友和伙伴对美国更加放心。另据韩联社报道,美韩于4月18日启动为期9天的2022年上半年联合指挥所演习。

Frequent joint exercises and training

It is reported that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln of the US Navy entered eastern waters off the Korean Peninsula on April 11, four years and five months after a US aircraft carrier made the previous entry. The US Navy Seventh Fleet later released a statement that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was having joint training with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force that was aimed to intensify conventional deterrence and reassure regional allies and partners. Besides, Yonhap News Agency reported that the US and ROK launched a nine-day springtime computer-simulated command post exercise on April 18.

矛盾分歧犹存

Remaining conflicts and divergences

在对外展示合作姿态的同时,美日韩同盟内部的矛盾分歧也进一步凸显。

The internal conflicts and divergences within the trilateral alliance cannot even hide when the three countries try to put up a cooperative posture.

美韩战时指挥权移交再度延期。韩国军方的战时指挥权一直由驻韩美军掌握。由于没有战时指挥权,韩军作战计划、军事演习等均由美国主导。文在寅2017年就任总统以来,多次向美方表示希望在自己任期结束前收回指挥权,但美方对此态度消极。

Transfer of ROK troops' OPCON

The transfer of wartime Operational Control Authority (OPCON) from the US side is postponed, again. Without OPCON, ROK troops have to follow America's lead regarding combat plans and military exercises. Moon Jae-in, ever since he took office in 2017, has repeatedly expressed his wish to take back the command within his term, but the US was dragging its feet.

美韩曾于2021年商定,将于2022年举行完全作战能力评估演习,以便为韩国收回战时指挥权预做准备。然而,在2022年上半年联合指挥所演习中,美韩两国并未开展相关演练,韩媒由此认定,文在寅任内收回战时指挥权的希望将破灭。

Last year, the US and ROK agreed to hold the Full Operational Capability (FOC) test in 2022 as a preparation for the OPCON transfer, yet no such subjects were included in their springtime joint commanding exercise. ROK media, therefore, reckoned that Moon Jae-in's wish went unanswered.

盟友戒备心有增无减。军事方面,美日两国日前提议在朝鲜半岛附近海域举行美日韩联合军事演习。对此,尹锡悦的发言人金恩惠表示,尹锡悦政府或将寻求加强与美日的安全合作,但对三边军演予以拒绝。金恩惠称,尹锡悦政府将考虑以切实有效方式实现美日韩安全合作。

Growing vigilance among allies

Washington and Tokyo recently proposed to hold a joint military exercise, together with ROK, in waters off the Korean Peninsula. In response to that, Yoon Seok-youl's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said the government may seek to strengthen the security cooperation with the US and Japan, but rejects the idea of the trilateral military exercise, adding that the Yoon Seok-youl administration will consider effective and practical ways to achieve security cooperation among the three countries.

日本“外交家”网站评论称,美国政府在执行“印太战略”时,应充分考虑印太地区的动态变化和复杂性。考虑到盟友伙伴利益诉求各不相同,美国的战略目标或将很难实现。

A Japanese website commented that Washington should fully consider the dynamic changes and complexity in the Indo-Pacific region when pushing its "Indo-Pacific strategy", and that its strategic goals will be hard to achieve given the different interest demands of its allies and partners.

韩国媒体指出,尽管韩国候任总统尹锡悦主张改善韩日关系,但考虑到两国多次因历史和领土问题剑拔弩张,双边关系前景难测。

ROK media also pointed out that although Yoon Seok-youl wants to improve the relations with Japan, how his wish will play out is uncertain yet judging by the two countries’ repeated tension in the past over historical and territorial issues.

拜登政府上台后,虽然一直在努力不断拉近美日韩“铁三角”关系,试图在东北亚打造坚固的前沿威慑阵地,但相互间堆积如山的问题,正在搅乱美国的“如意算盘”。

Since Biden came into power, he worked hard to cement the US-Japan-ROK "iron triangle" and to build a sturdy forward position of deterrence in Northeast Asia, but the piled-up problems within the triangle are disrupting his plan.

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