http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/10/205_123080.html
S. Korea, US agree to set N. Korean nuclear
deterrence policy by 2014
10-25-2012 08:02
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The defense chiefs of South Korea and the
United States agreed Wednesday to identify specific types of nuclear threats by
North Korea and map out joint deterrence strategies tailored to each threat
type by 2014.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his American counterpart, Leon
Panetta, reached the agreement in the annual Security Consultative Meeting
(SCM) at the Pentagon at a time of continued military threats from the
communist North under its new leader, Kim Jong-un.
"They reaffirmed that any North Korean aggression or military provocation
is not to be tolerated and that the U.S. and the Republic of Korea would work
shoulder-to-shoulder to demonstrate our combined resolve," the joint
communique said, referring to South Korea's official name. "They also
urged North Korea to cease all activities related to its nuclear program
immediately, and to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear
programs."
In particular, they agreed to develop joint deterrence strategies tailored to specific
types of threats posed by North K글자색orea's missiles and nuclear and other weapons
of mass destruction by 2014 through the "Extended Deterrence Policy
Committee" between the two countries.
Panetta reiterated the U.S. commitment to provide and strengthen extended
deterrence for the South, using its full range of military capabilities,
including "the U.S. nuclear umbrella, conventional strike, and missile
defense capabilities."
About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea, and the U.S. guarantees
a nuclear "umbrella" in case of an atomic attack, but calls for
customized deterrence strategies have grown as Seoul prepares to retake wartime
operational command from Washington in December 2015.
The Combined Forces Command (CFC), which has long overseen joint operations of
the allies, will be dismantled under the transition plan, so the two sides will
form a joint working group to establish an alternative system to "continue
to refine the future command structure and maximize its military efficiency."
They also stressed the transition should be "implemented
methodically" and that the combined defense posture remains "strong
and seamless."
The latest agreement came as some in the South question whether the two allies
will be able to carry out joint military actions as effectively as before once
the CFC is dissolved, and a looser command structure exists between South
Korean troops and U.S. Forces Korea.
Kim said the two sides plan to form a working-group later this year to draft a
new model for an alternative joint operation body by the first half of next
year, Kim said.
"There have been discussions about how to utilize expertise accumulated
under the CFC structure even after the transition of wartime OPCON," Kim
told reporters after the meeting. "South Korean forces will play a leading
role and the U.S. forces will play a supporting role. The issue is how to form
a decision making body within the structure of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of
South Korea."