The Ground Operations Command (GOC; Korean: 지상작전사령부, hanja: 地上作戰司令部) is a command of the Republic of Korea Army,^[1] based in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.^[2]

Quick Facts Ground Operations Command, Active ...

Ground Operations Command
지상작전사령부
Active	1 January 2019 - present
Country	Republic of Korea
Branch	Republic of Korea Army
Type	Component command
Garrison/HQ	Yongin, Gyeonggi Province
Nickname(s)	선봉대 ("The Vanguard")
Commanders
Current commander	General Son Sik

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According Lee Min-hyung of The Korea Times, the Ministry of National Defense pushed for the establishment of the Ground Operations Command since 1998, with calls to decrease the number of soldiers and improve operational efficiency under a single control point.^[3]

In 2015, the government announced its intention to establish a command to be in charge of the army's ground operations by 2018, after delaying the transfer of control of troops in case of war.^[4]

The Ground Operations Command has been created by combining the ROK Army's First and Third Army commands, which defended the eastern and western frontline areas.^[1] The establishment of the command was part of President Moon Jae-in's military reform plan.^[5] On 16 April 2020, Special Operations Commander, Lieutenant General Nam Young-sin, was promoted to General and appointed as the Ground Operations Commander.

According to General Woon-yong Kim, the mission entrusted to the Ground Operations Command consists of deterring the full spectrum of threats by maintaining watertight readiness posture even outside open wartime. To this end, the Ground Operations Command guards the Military Demarcation Line in combat readiness.^[6]

In the event of an outbreak of war, the Ground Operations Command will serve as the Ground Component Command under the combined forces command of South Korea and the United States.^[1]

The Ground Operations Command consists of:^[1]