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Republic of Korea Army Maj. Gen. Moon Byeong Sam, Combined Forces Command, Deputy Chief of Staff, gives remarks at the 2026 Korea Defense Symposium and Exposition (KORDEF), April 21st, 2026, Camp Humphreys, South Korea. KORDEF highlights the role of land forces in the Korean theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and wartime. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rylen Ciota)
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Republic of Korea Army Maj. Gen. Moon Byeong Sam, Combined Forces Command, Deputy Chief of Staff, gives remarks at the 2026 Korea Defense Symposium and Exposition (KORDEF), April 21st, 2026, Camp Humphreys, South Korea. KORDEF highlights the role of land forces in the Korean theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and wartime. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rylen Ciota)
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Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, Eighth Army Commanding General, gives remarks at the 2026 Korea Defense Symposium and Exposition, April 21st, 2026, Camp Humphreys, South Korea. KORDEF highlights the role of land forces in the Korean theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and wartime. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rylen Ciota)
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Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, Eighth Army Commanding General, poses for a group photo with other members at the 2026 Korea Defense Symposium and Exposition, April 21st, 2026, Camp Humphreys, South Korea. KORDEF highlights the role of land forces in the Korean theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and wartime. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rylen Ciota)
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The band GRANADA performs “gukpop” a mix of Korean traditional Gukak music and K-pop at the 2026 Korea Defense Symposium and Exposition, April 21st, 2026, Camp Humphreys, South Korea. KORDEF highlights the role of land forces in the Korean theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and wartime. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Rylen Ciota)
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PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command announced that KORDEF 2026 (Korea Defense Symposium and Exhibition) was held at Camp Humphreys from April 21-22.
KORDEF 2026 was organized to discuss the future direction of combined operations in response to changes in the security environment on the Korean Peninsula, while strengthening cooperation among the ROK and U.S. militaries, the defense industry and military experts.
Military officials and defense experts from both countries participated in presentations and panel discussions focused on three key themes: combined response strategies for unmanned systems, data centrality for ROK-U.S. data sharing and interoperability, and the Korean Peninsula theaterwide readiness posture.
Maj. Gen. Moon Byung-sam, deputy chief of staff of CFC, said in his keynote address that the event marked a meaningful occasion for shaping the future of combined operations.
“KORDEF 2026 presented a new direction for combined operations in an evolving security environment,” Moon said. “It also strengthened the practical foundation for cooperation in advancing unmanned systems, data-centric warfare and theaterwide readiness posture.”
KORDEF is an annual defense event co-hosted by the Association of the United States Army Korea Chapter and AFCEA Korea. It aims to enhance allied interoperability and strengthen cooperation within the Korean Peninsula theater.
Combined Forces Command plans to continue using the event as a key platform for advancing combined capabilities, along with the ROK-U.S. C5ISRT Senior Leaders Seminar scheduled for later this year.
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