Photo courtesy of Anadolu
The top military commanders of the United States, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed their trilateral security partnership as they discussed North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile capabilities.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine hosted the meeting at the Pentagon on Wednesday with Japan’s Joint Staff chief Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung.
The three commanders agreed that closer coordination was necessary to address threats from Pyongyang and other regional security concerns affecting the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific.
They also renewed their commitment to pursuing the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea, however, has repeatedly maintained that its status as a nuclear-armed state cannot be reversed.
The military leaders also discussed expanding cooperation across several operational areas and sustaining joint activities among their armed forces.
Among the exercises expected to continue was Freedom Edge, an annual trilateral drill intended to improve coordination among the three countries.
Japan is set to host the next meeting of the three defense chiefs in 2027, while both Tokyo and Seoul continue to host thousands of US troops and military facilities under their respective alliances with Washington.