Hagel to Assess South Korea Readiness With Handover Looming

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, on his first visit to South Korea since taking office, will assess his ally’s preparations for taking control from the U.S. of planning against any North Korean attack.

South Korea is investing in missile defense, intelligence, surveillance and munitions capabilities before the December 2015 scheduled handover from the American command. Among the items on the potential acquisition list are Boeing Co. attack helicopters, Northrop Grumman Corp. drones and Textron Systems Corp. advanced anti-armor cluster bombs. The U.S. also has advocated the purchase of advanced missile-intercept systems.