An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Oct. 30, 2017

Dunford Hosts Trilateral Meeting With South Korean, Japanese Military Leaders

By DoD News Defense Media Activity

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hosted a trilateral conference with South Korean and Japanese military leaders here yesterday.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford and his counterparts, South Korean Air Force Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, met at the U.S. Pacific Command (Pacom) headquarters.

The leaders focused on trilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia to respond to increasingly provocative actions from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader is persisting in developing nuclear weapons and the missile systems to deliver them. He is continuing this effort in the face of nearly universal condemnation and in defiance of a number of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

This was the fifth trilateral meeting among the leaders since July 2014. The military defense chiefs were joined by Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr., the Pacom commander; Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan.

Violations of International Norms

The chiefs of defense exchanged views and information on the North Korean violations of international norms. These include testing a nuclear device on Sept. 3 and missile launches that overflew Japan's Hokkaido island in July. The men "agreed to firmly respond to the acts in full coordination with each other," according to a Joint Staff statement describing the meeting.

In addition, the statement said, the three chiefs also discussed multilateral and trilateral initiatives designed to improve interoperability and readiness. Both Japan and South Korea have mutual defense treaties with the United States, and each country has excellent military-to-military relations with the U.S. military, officials added in the statement.

"They agreed to explore their collective capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as leveraging their unique competencies in the cyber domain" through the 2016 General Security of Military Information Agreement, the statement said.

'Ironclad Commitment'

The three chiefs called on Kim to stop his provocative behavior, and "walk away from its destructive and reckless path of [weapons of mass destruction] development," the Joint Staff statement said.

For his part, Dunford stressed America's "ironclad" commitment to defend South Korea and Japan, and he reaffirmed the extended deterrence guaranteed by the full spectrum of U.S. military capabilities, including conventional, nuclear and missile defense assets.

The senior leaders vowed to continue to work together on mutual security concerns to enhance peace and stability in the region, the statement said.
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
362,967
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 18, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

America Amphibious Ready Group Completes Exercise Iron Fist
U.S Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, U.S. Navy Sailors with the America Amphibious Ready Group, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Soldiers, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sailors pose for a group photo following the Iron Fist 24 closing ceremony aboard the Osumi-class tank landing ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) in Okinawa, Japan, Mar. 17, 2024. The closing ceremony concluded training between the armed forces and awarded servicemembers for outstanding performance during Iron Fist 24. Iron Fist is an annual bilateral exercise designed to increase interoperability and strengthen the relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Juan K. Maldonado)
March 18, 2024 - Sailors assigned to the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, celebrated the completion of the 18th iteration of Exercise Iron Fist, alongside members of the Japan...

USINDOPACOM Statement on DPRK Missile Launches
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 18, 2024 - We are aware of the DPRK’s March 17 ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. We have assessed these events did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory. The United...

US Space Forces Indo-Pacific executes Cobra Gold 2024
March 15, 2024 - U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific is taking a giant leap forward in multi-domain integration, leading U.S. space participation in Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 24 in Thailand, Feb. 27 – Mar. 8...

2nd Infantry/ROK-U.S. Combined Division Joins with ROK Forces for Air Assault Training Mission
A Republic of Korea Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter, 2nd Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, performs a sling load of a 12,000-pound High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) while conducting combined air assault and ground training exercises during Freedom Shield 24, March 13, 2024, at the Korea Combined Training Center, South Korea. FS24, a holistic military training program, integrates ground, air, and naval elements, enhancing readiness through realistic combat simulations, interoperability, and live exercises refining troops’ combat skills. (U.S. Army photo by KPfc. Lee, Hyun Bin)
March 15, 2024 - The 2nd Infantry/ROK-U.S. Combined Division completes a large-scale joint air assault training operation in conjunction with the ROK 2nd Rapid Response Division, Army Aviation Command, Air Force's 5th Air Mobility Wing during...