▲ Gen. Charles Brown, U.S. Air Force chief of staff, is seen speaking during a confirmation hearing on his nomination to become the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff before the Senate Committee on Armed Services in Washington on July 11, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

Korea-US alliance-US general

Cooperation with S. Korea critical to U.S. national security interests: JCS chief nominee

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Yonhap) -- Cooperation with South Korea is becoming more and more critical to the United States' national security interests, the nominee for chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday, also highlighting the importance of trilateral cooperation with Japan in dealing with threats posed by North Korea.

Gen. Charles Brown also noted that the bilateral alliance between South Korea and the U.S. has not only successfully deterred North Korean threats but also played an "integral role in managing regional security dynamics between South Korea, Japan and China."

"The U.S.–ROK Alliance has also strengthened our collective security, economic ties, and societal relationships," the Air Force general said of the alliance in a statement submitted to the Senate armed services committee ahead of his confirmation hearing, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"Considering the unprecedented number of DPRK provocative ballistic missile launches in 2022 and 2023, the alliance is even more critical to our national security interests," he added, according to the statement released by the Senate committee.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name. North Korea fired 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, marking a new annual record for ballistic missiles launched in a single year.

Brown said the U.S. working to strengthening trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan "to better deal with the challenges posed by North Korea's growing nuclear weapons and missile programs."

"The United States, allies, and partners are currently well postured and ready to respond to DPRK threats," said Brown, who currently serves as the Air Force chief of staff.

More specifically, the JCS chairman nominee said the existing U.S. missile defense system based on ground-based interceptor fleet is "adequate against the existing North Korean threat."

"And our planned upgrade to the Next Generation Interceptor and modest increase to the number of interceptors in the fleet should be sufficient to defeat a limited attack. If confirmed, I will support continuing these annual reviews to assess and required changes in the ground-based interceptor fleet," he added.

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