Possibility of Increased Demands for South Korea's Role in Deterring North Korea
On June 11 (local time), U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the new U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS), set to be announced this summer, will emphasize a focus on the Indo-Pacific region to counter China, and will include provisions for increased security burden-sharing among allied countries.
At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing held in Washington, D.C. that day, Secretary Hegseth explained that an interim national defense strategy had been established, which focuses on responding to the "pursuing threat" in the Indo-Pacific region (referring to China) and on sharing security burdens with allies and partners.
Regarding the interim national defense strategy, Secretary Hegseth emphasized that the idea is for "them (allied and partner countries) to strengthen their defense investments so that the United States can focus on the areas where it needs to concentrate." He added, "Our national defense strategy, which will be released in late summer, will include many of these elements, but is expected to be developed in a more comprehensive form."
Secretary Hegseth's remarks confirm U.S. media reports that the Department of Defense has prepared interim national defense strategy guidelines, which include an expanded role for South Korea in defending against North Korea. At the same time, his comments suggest that these elements will largely be reflected in the formal national defense strategy to be released in the summer. Previously, in March, the Washington Post reported that the Department of Defense's "interim national defense strategy guidelines" prioritized defending the U.S. homeland and preparing for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, while delegating most responses to other threats, including North Korea, to allied countries.
Early last month, when Secretary Hegseth ordered the drafting of the NDS, he provided guidelines prioritizing homeland defense, deterrence of China in the Indo-Pacific region, and increased cost-sharing with global allies and partners. The NDS is a document that sets the defense priorities for the United States, identifies major threats, and outlines a broad strategy for deterrence; it is typically rewritten after a new administration takes office. The new NDS, to be released in the summer, is expected to include a clear stance on demanding increased defense spending from South Korea and expanding the operational scope of U.S. Forces Korea for China deterrence, a concept referred to as "strategic flexibility." In particular, Elbridge Colby, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy and the lead architect of the NDS, has argued that while the United States should continue to provide extended deterrence (the nuclear umbrella) to protect South Korea from North Korea's nuclear weapons, South Korea should take a more leading role in defending against North Korea's conventional threats.
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