South Korea and the U.S. to Conduct 'Extended Deterrence' Exercise in the U.S. on the 22nd of This Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The Ministries of Defense of South Korea and the United States announced on the 17th that on the 22nd (local time), they will conduct the 8th Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Tabletop Exercise (DSC TTX) at the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters in Washington D.C., to respond to North Korea's nuclear threats.

Both South Korea and the United States plan to focus on discussing measures to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence capabilities in South Korea in response to North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats.

This exercise is the first to be held since the agreement to hold it annually was made at last year's Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the U.S. Attending from South Korea is Heo Tae-geun, Director of Defense Policy, and from the U.S. side are Siddharth Mohandas, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, and Richard Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Response. The two countries will engage in in-depth discussions on various measures to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence, focusing on North Korea's nuclear threat, including information sharing and consultation procedures.

On the 23rd of this month, there are plans to visit the U.S. nuclear submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia. This is expected to serve as an opportunity to demonstrate the U.S.'s commitment to providing extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and to showcase the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance. The Ministry of Defense stated, "Our delegation will meet with key U.S. officials during this visit to discuss various alliance issues and enhance the U.S. understanding and support of our defense policies."

The DSC TTX is a discussion-based exercise jointly hosted by the South Korean and U.S. Ministries of Defense to develop joint response concepts and procedures in the event of a North Korean nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Based on the South Korea-U.S. Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS), military and diplomatic officials from both countries gather to discuss and review response plans according to different stages of a nuclear crisis. As the name suggests, during the exercise period, delegations from both countries visit and observe facilities equipped with extended deterrence capabilities. By demonstrating the U.S.'s strong extended deterrence capabilities, it sends a warning message to North Korea and builds trust with South Korea.

For example, following North Korea's 4th nuclear test, during the 5th DSC TTX held from February 24 to 26, 2016, the U.S. invited the South Korean delegation to Vandenberg Air Force Base to observe the test launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) "Minuteman." Other past DSC TTX visit sites include the U.S. Strategic Command (1st, November 8-9, 2011), Los Alamos National Laboratory (2nd, December 6-7, 2012), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (3rd, January 14-15, 2014), and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons School (6th, February 12-13, 2019).

The 4th and 7th exercises were held in South Korea. A Ministry of Defense official explained the significance of the Kings Bay nuclear submarine base visit during this DSC TTX, stating, "It is meaningful that the South Korea-U.S. delegations are visiting the U.S. nuclear submarine base together for the first time." The official added, "In the past, South Korea and the U.S. have jointly visited ICBM bases and strategic bomber bases, which are part of the U.S. nuclear triad, during DSC TTX or SCM. Including the nuclear submarine base this time means that South Korea and the U.S. are jointly confirming all areas of the nuclear triad."