Top U.S. military officials said Friday that they are ready to transfer wartime control to South Korea as scheduled in 2012 but will continue to leave open the possibility of a delay if both governments agree on the necessity for such a move.

The issue of transferring wartime control to Seoul was discussed Friday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington.

U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman said 2012 may be an unsuitable time for the OPCON transfer as it coincides with both Korean and U.S. presidential elections and the centennial of the birth of North Korea’s founder and former dictator Kim Il-sung.
Lieberman said the transfer could have an "impact on other areas of the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, where they worry about whether we're going to leave before the job is done."

Commander of U.S. forces in Korea, General Walter Sharp, said that if South Korea asks for a delay, the issue would have to be discussed at the highest levels of both governments.

In particular, U.S. commanders said that Korea and the U.S. have held multiple successful military exercises in preparation for the transfer and that the U.S. pledge for security will not change even after the transfer is complete.