[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] South Korea-US Strengthen Strategic Asset Cooperation... Deployment Scale

South Korea and the U.S. Restart Extended Deterrence Strategy Talks After 5 Years
High-Intensity Measures in Response to North Korea's Nuclear Force Legalization

Specifications and performance of U.S. strategic assets deployed on the Korean Peninsula. Graphic by Jin-kyung Lee, Designer

The deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula is a hot topic. The photo shows the specifications of the USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Michigan. Graphic by Jin-kyung Lee, Designer

Specifications and performance of U.S. strategic assets deployed on the Korean Peninsula. Graphic by Jin-kyung Lee, Designer

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 16th (local time), South Korea and the United States held the Expanded Deterrence Strategy Consultation Group (EDSCG) meeting, reactivated after about five years, and began exploring concrete expanded deterrence measures, drawing attention to the expanded deterrence strategies.

North Korea, which is assessed to have virtually completed preparations for its 7th nuclear test, declared on the 8th through the legalization of its nuclear force policy that it could even carry out a preemptive nuclear strike in principle, making North Korea's nuclear threat a tangible and practical issue that can be felt. This means that North Korea's nuclear threat has fundamentally changed.

Shin Beom-chul, Vice Minister of Defense, said in his opening remarks at the meeting, "Despite the denuclearization efforts made so far, North Korea is further increasing its nuclear weapons and delivery means and threatening to actually use nuclear weapons against the alliance."

Accordingly, beyond the United States' firm defense commitment to South Korea, it was urgent for us to enhance the execution capability of expanded deterrence, expressed as the U.S. nuclear umbrella, and to ensure that South Korea's position is more reflected in this process. Expanded deterrence is the U.S. commitment to support its allies with nuclear-armed delivery systems and other means to respond to threats against the U.S. mainland when its allies face nuclear attacks or threats. It is a concept of supporting allies with strategic assets such as nuclear-armed bombers and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as missile defense (MD) forces.

In this context, the fact that South Korea and the U.S. agreed at this meeting to hold the EDSCG annually on a regular basis and to hold working-level meetings before next year's meeting is significant. Since the meeting was suspended after the 2nd meeting in January 2018, holding it regularly guarantees our institutional voice in executing expanded deterrence policies such as the deployment and operation of strategic assets.

Vice Minister Shin Beom-chul's visit to Andrews Joint Base near Washington DC to inspect the B-52 strategic bomber during this meeting is also seen as a symbolic scene in terms of cooperation in the operation of strategic assets.

Colin Kahl, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, said in his opening remarks at the meeting, "The United States will firmly uphold its expanded deterrence commitment to South Korea, which includes all-range defense means of the U.S., including nuclear and conventional forces and missile defense systems."

Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to dock in Busan late next week
U.S. reaffirms policy to provide all military capabilities including nuclear to South Korea
Possibility of B-1B strategic bombers and nuclear submarines entering South Korea also mentioned

In fact, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is scheduled to arrive in Busan in the middle of next week. The U.S. Pacific Fleet announced earlier on the 12th that the Reagan departed its home port, Yokosuka Port in Japan. The Reagan carries the stealth fighter F-35C, another strategic asset the U.S. would deploy to the Korean Peninsula in an emergency.

The U.S. aircraft carrier deployment is similar to the situation five years ago. In September 2017, when North Korea conducted its 6th nuclear test, the U.S. unusually sent three nuclear carriers?the Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, and Nimitz?to the Korean Peninsula simultaneously in November. These carriers and the South Korean Navy conducted large-scale joint exercises in the East Sea operational area (KTO), staging a strong show of force toward North Korea.

Moreover, the U.S. reaffirmed in the joint statement on this day its policy to provide expanded deterrence to South Korea using all categories of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons. In this context, there are forecasts that the scale and level of future strategic asset deployments will differ from the past. This means that the U.S. will swiftly and boldly deploy expanded deterrence assets such as strategic weapons to South Korea in case of North Korean provocations.

Inside and outside the military, the deployment of B-1B strategic bombers forward-deployed in Guam to the Korean Peninsula is cited as the top priority. There are also expectations that nuclear-armed B-52 or B-2 strategic bombers will fly in to conduct simulated drop exercises as a warning to North Korea. The entry of nuclear submarines into South Korean ports may also be pursued. The fact that the South Korea-U.S. military leadership observes training of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and strategic bomber units in the U.S. mainland is also considered an effective measure.

The decision by South Korea and the U.S. to strengthen cooperation in timely and effective deployment of strategic assets also has significance in deterring North Korean provocations. It clearly indicates that responses to provocations will differ from the past. Especially regarding the possibility of North Korea's nuclear attack, the joint statement specifies that South Korea and the U.S. will respond overwhelmingly and decisively to any nuclear attack by North Korea. The terms "overwhelming" and "decisive" are interpreted to mean a response beyond proportional levels, strong enough to prevent North Korea from further provocations.

In this regard, South Korea and the U.S. will also conduct an expanded deterrence means operation exercise (TTX) within this year, a military response drill tailored to the stages of North Korea's nuclear threat. Additionally, South Korea and the U.S. are revising the tailored deterrence strategy (TDS) to respond to North Korea's tactical nuclear development and preemptive strike threats. The Korea-U.S. TDS is an optimized deterrence strategy for the Korean Peninsula situation, considering the characteristics of the North Korean leadership and nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats.

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