US reaffirms security commitment to South Korea
(VOVWORLD) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday highlighted America's "ironclad" and "unwavering" security commitment to South Korea, warning that if an adversary challenges South Korea or the US, it would be challenging the two countries' alliance as a whole.
 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visits the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on December 30, 2023. (Photo:Yonhap) |
Austin issued the warning in an exclusive contribution piece to Yonhap News Agency, as he plans to hold talks with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup in Seoul later in the day to discuss deterrence against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Austin stressed a range of the allies' security efforts, such as expanding the scope and scale of their combined exercises and incorporating "live-fire" elements.
He also underlined the importance of deepening tripartite cooperation with Japan, including conducting trilateral ballistic missile defense and anti-submarine warfare exercises.
Austin made clear the allies' commitment to do even more, including increasingly complex scenario-based tabletop exercises focused on nuclear threats on the peninsula and visits to strategic sites housing advanced US capabilities.