On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the United States will increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula while strengthening joint training and operational planning with South Korea in response to a growing nuclear threat from North Korea.
Austin made the remarks in Seoul after he and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup agreed to expand their combined military exercises, including the resumption of live-fire demonstrations, and continue a "timely and coordinated" deployment of US strategic assets to the region, according to the offices of both men.
US, South Korea To Intensify Military Drills
Austin and Lee also addressed plans for a mock exercise between the allies in February designed to hone their reaction in the event that North Korea employs nuclear weapons.
South Korea desires firmer assurances that the United States will use its nuclear capabilities rapidly and forcefully to defend its ally in the event of a North Korean nuclear assault.
Since North Korea tested dozens of missiles in 2022, including possibly nuclear-capable ones aimed to attack South Korea and the US mainland, South Korean security concerns have increased.
In recent months, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have strengthened their security cooperation, which has included trilateral missile defense and anti-submarine warfare drills in response to North Korea's provocative nuclear tests.
Austin and Lee stated at a joint press conference following their meeting that their nations' resumption of large-scale military drills last year, including a November aerial exercise involving US strategic bombers, highlighted their united ability to prevent North Korean aggression.
In recent years, the allies reduced their training to make way for dialogue with North Korea under the Trump administration and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Business Mirror.
The escalation of North Korea's missile launches has been accompanied by threats to deploy nuclear weapons preemptively in a variety of scenarios in which it views its leadership to be threatened, including conventional conflicts and non-military crises.
As a result of Kim Jong Un's escalation of his nuclear goals, tensions are likely to increase in the coming months.
During a December political conference, Kim called for an "exponential rise" in nuclear warheads, the mass manufacturing of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons aimed against South Korea, and the development of more powerful long-range missiles aiming to reach the United States' continental interior.
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North Korea Nuclear Assaults
Lee cited last year's drills that combined flight training with the deployment of strategic bombers as "the embodiment of extended deterrence" by demonstrating different defensive capabilities.
Pyongyang has criticized the intensified joint exercises as evidence that the United States and its allies are contemplating hostilities against North Korea, as per Fox News. Lee stated that the United States and South Korea will conduct tabletop exercises next month to develop a scenario and reaction plan for a North Korean nuclear assault.
Austin stated that South Korea may anticipate the deployment of additional US defense assets to the area, citing the recent deployment of F-22 and F-35 fighter fighters as well as the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, around 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea have acted as a military deterrent to North Korea.
Lee stated that the two nations will conduct nuclear tabletop exercises in February, simulating a North Korean nuclear assault, in an effort to better nuclear planning and implementation and increase intelligence exchange.
Per The Strait Times, Austin stated that the tabletop drills will guarantee that the allies have a unified approach to North Korea. He noted that the drills are consistent with the allies' discussions about the expansion of extended deterrence activities and mechanisms on the peninsula and in the region.
South Korea is under increasing pressure to join US-led efforts to curb China's expanding influence and aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Monday, while visiting Seoul, the secretary-general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, encouraged South Korea to strengthen its military assistance to Ukraine.
As a result of Russia's invasion, he highlighted other states that had altered their stance of not giving arms to countries in war. When asked about Stoltenberg's remarks, Lee stated that he is following the situation but declined to clarify Ukraine's military backing.
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