[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] President Yoon: "Agreement on Security Cooperation"... What It Means

The U.S. strategic weapon B-1B strategic bomber conducted joint training with our Air Force on the 22nd.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] President Yoon Suk-yeol said regarding the trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, "We agreed on the principle that it is desirable to resume certain military security cooperation that had been suspended for a considerable period to respond to North Korea's nuclear threat."

This is interpreted to mean that South Korea and the U.S. will deploy U.S. strategic assets and hold the South Korea-U.S. High-Level Extended Deterrence Strategy Committee (EDSCG) early and frequently on the Korean Peninsula in preparation for additional provocations by North Korea.

If South Korea and the U.S. hold the EDSCG early, the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula is expected to occur frequently. The South Korea-U.S. diplomatic and defense (2+2) EDSCG was initiated during the Park Geun-hye administration but was suspended under the Moon Jae-in administration. Once the EDSCG is actively discussed, if North Korea carries out provocations such as ICBM launches, U.S. strategic assets will be deployed frequently on the Korean Peninsula.

The deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula can demonstrate a strong warning and response will to North Korea. The strategic weapons expected to be deployed include the U.S. three major long-range bombers: B-52H, B-1B, and B-2. The B-52 flew over the Korean Peninsula as a warning to North Korea during the 1976 axe murder incident at Panmunjom.

The U.S. Air Force operates a bomber fleet consisting of 46 B-52H (Stratofortress) capable of carrying nuclear weapons and 20 B-2A (Spirit) bombers. The strategic bomber B-1B (Lancer) has about 90 units in service.

The B-52H carries nuclear warhead-capable AGM-129 cruise missiles (12 units) and AGM-86A cruise missiles (20 units). It can also carry conventional warheads such as AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (8 units), AGM-142 Raptor air-to-ground missiles (4 units), JDAMs (12 units), 81 conventional bombs weighing 500 pounds (226.7 kg) and 1000 pounds, and 12 GPS-guided inertial bombs (JSOW), totaling 32 tons of weapons.

The B-2 has a weapon payload capacity close to 18,144 kg. The B-1B, nicknamed the "Death Swoop" because its shape resembles a swan, is a strategic weapon with devastating carpet bombing capability. Its maximum payload exceeds that of the B-52 and B-2, with 34 tons internally and 27 tons including external wing mounts. It can drop a large volume of bombs in a single sortie. Its maximum speed is Mach 1.2, faster than the B-52 (957 km/h) and B-2 (Mach 0.9), allowing it to take off from Guam and operate over the Korean Peninsula within two hours in emergencies. It is the most frequently deployed bomber on the Korean Peninsula.

Strategic assets deployed to the Korean Peninsula also include nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which carry about 70 aircraft and serve as "floating bases," and nuclear-powered attack submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 km.

Additionally, high-intensity South Korea-U.S. joint exercises are expected to be discussed as part of the extended deterrence action plan. In particular, practical bombing exercises involving U.S. strategic assets are mentioned as a highly effective means.

However, the permanent or forward deployment of strategic assets is unlikely to be concretized immediately. Permanent deployment would require additional U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, which conflicts with the U.S. military's Global Posture Review (GPR) policy. This would require a change in U.S. policy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.