US-ROK Defense Ministers Meeting on 31st... SCM After 3 Months
Discussing Security Issues Including Extended Deterrence Implementation Plan
[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived on the Korean Peninsula on the 30th.
Secretary Austin landed at Osan Air Base around 4:30 p.m. on a Boeing 747 model E-4B U.S. Air Force aircraft, known as the "Pentagon in the sky." At approximately 4:45 p.m., Secretary Austin disembarked and shook hands with Paul LaCamera, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, who came to greet him.
On the 31st, Secretary Austin is scheduled to hold talks with South Korean Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop to discuss bilateral security issues, including measures to strengthen extended deterrence capabilities. This meeting between the defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. comes three months after the 54th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held at the U.S. Department of Defense in early November last year.
At this meeting, the defense ministers of both countries are expected to focus on enhancing trust in the implementation of extended deterrence capabilities agreed upon at the SCM, including the upcoming South Korea-U.S. Extended Deterrence Capability Exercise (DSC TTX) scheduled to be held in the U.S. next month, and discuss implementation measures. In particular, this DSC TTX will be conducted as a discussion-based exercise based on scenarios assuming a preemptive nuclear strike by North Korea.
Strengthening trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, including real-time sharing of missile warning information, is also expected to be a key topic. In this process, Secretary Austin is anticipated to explain the outcomes of the recent U.S.-Japan summit held in the U.S. this month and request enhanced trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.
After the meeting, the defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. may reaffirm the U.S.'s firm commitment to defense through a press conference and issue a strong warning message to North Korea, which continuously engages in provocations. Additionally, attention will be paid to whether support for Ukraine will be discussed, coinciding with the visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to South Korea the previous day.
It is also reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with Secretary Austin.
The E-4B that Secretary Austin arrived on is a Boeing 747-200B jet converted for military use. Known as "Nightwatch," this aircraft was developed to serve as an airborne command post for the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It can function as a control center in the air to command a nuclear war if the U.S. mainland is attacked by nuclear weapons. Its role has expanded as an "airborne command and control aircraft" capable of directly issuing orders to all military forces from the sky, earning it the nickname "Doomsday Plane."
The airframe is made of special materials to operate perfectly even under nuclear explosions or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks.
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