Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan and South Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk met at the Pentagon today and “reaffirmed the ironclad nature of the alliance and the importance of maintaining vigilance and unity in the face of North Korean aggression,” Defense Department spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff A. Davis said.
In a statement summarizing the meeting, Davis said Shanahan and Suh “agreed to build upon the already strong working relationship that Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and his Republic of Korea counterpart Song Young-Moo have developed over the past several months.”
U.S. Commitment to Region
Shanahan noted that the new National Defense Strategy, released earlier today, underscores the U.S. Defense Department's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to U.S. alliances, Davis said.
In addition, Davis said, Shanahan noted that both he and Mattis hail from "the other Washington," the closest of the lower 48 states to the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders discussed preparations for the upcoming 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea's defense reform initiative, and the ongoing military talks between North and South Korea, Davis said, agreeing that the U.S. and South Korea will remain unified in working to achieve a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.