WASHINGTON -- Department of Defense Spokesman Jeff Jurgensen provided the following readout:
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Dr. William LaPlante, welcomed Mr. Eom Dong-hwan, the Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to an in-person meeting at the Pentagon on March 14, 2023.
The leaders discussed collaboration between ROK’s Defense Acquisition Programs Training Institute (DATPI) and our own Defense Acquisition University. Minister EOM expressed his gratitude for DATPI-DAU collaboration in training the ROK acquisition workforce, and Dr. LaPlante acknowledged Minister EOM’s thank you while encouraging continued engagement and collaboration to further our common goals.
They also discussed supply chain resiliency. As the ROK is taking a whole-of-government approach to respond to changes in U.S. supply chain policy, Dr. LaPlante and Minister EOM discussed areas where the ROK can contribute to DoD’s efforts to enhance resiliency of U.S. supply chains.
The leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to conclude a U.S.-ROK Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA). Both were encouraged by the work completed by the staffs and look forward to signing a U.S-ROK SOSA at the next Defense Technology and Industrial Cooperation Committee meeting tentatively planned for June 2023.