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Lt. Gen. Cha Jun-seon, commander of the Republic of Korea Air Force Operations Command, and Lt. Gen. David Shoemaker, commander of the U.S. Seventh Air Force, conducted a combined command flight on Oct. 27 as part of the second Freedom Flag exercise of 2026. Cha, aboard a U.S. F-16, and Shoemaker, aboard a South Korean F-15K, return after completing a command flight during a time-sensitive targeting exercise. / Yonhap News Agency

The South Korean Air Force will participate for the first time in the U.S. Space Force-hosted "Partner to Win" wargame, which will take place in the United States from Nov. 2 to 6.

The Air Force announced on Nov. 2 that South Korea would participate for the first time in the wargame, which will be held in Orlando, Florida.

Partner to Win is an international space wargame established this year by the U.S. Space Force to strengthen cooperation among allies and partner nations in policy, strategy and operations and improve readiness for combined space operations. Six countries will participate: South Korea, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Brazil. The South Korean delegation will include Kim Si-mon, head of the Air Force Headquarters Space Center, and officials responsible for space affairs from the Air Force and the Ministry of National Defense.

In February, Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak held a coordination call with Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, then-chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, to discuss the establishment of the wargame and the South Korean Air Force's participation. The U.S. Space Force subsequently extended an official invitation to the South Korean Air Force to strengthen bilateral space cooperation.

The wargame will be conducted as a tabletop exercise (TTX) involving complex and diverse hypothetical space crisis scenarios. Delegations from participating countries will also discuss response measures to deter and manage crises and ways to coordinate among nations.

The South Korean delegation plans to gain experience in the U.S. Space Force's wargame and examine ways to supplement and improve the operations-focused wargaming program developed by the Air Force Space Center. It will focus on expanding policy and strategic elements, including decision-making during space crises and international cooperation.

The delegation will also examine the Air Force's role and required capabilities in multinational combined space operations by referring to other countries' responses to space crises and their combined space operations frameworks. Based on these findings, it will explore ways to further develop the Air Force's space operations.

"Participating in this wargame will serve as an opportunity to further strengthen space cooperation with allies and partner nations in response to changes in the space operations environment," Kim said.

"The Air Force will also continue developing its Korean-style space contingency response wargaming program and build the capabilities needed to actively contribute to the combined space operations framework."

Meanwhile, the Air Force plans to use its participation in the wargame to broaden the foundation for space cooperation with allies and partner nations and lay the groundwork for taking a leading role in future multinational combined space operations.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol