Discussions in October between US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and South Korean Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee over the planned transition of wartime operations to South Korean forces also included continued formulation of an operation plan for a North Korean collapse, after a proposal made in an earlier meeting between the American and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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In August 1999, General John H. Tilelli, Jr., commander of United States Forces Korea, acknowledged the existence of a scenario and plan by ROK-US Combined Forces Command involving the collapse of North Korea, stating "it would be unusual if we didn't have one."