▲ This undated file photo, provided by the U.S. Navy, shows a submarine operated by the armed service. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-deterrence drills

S. Korea, U.S. to hold 'table-top' drills against N. Korean nuclear threats at Pentagon

SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are set to stage a combined military exercise at the Pentagon on Wednesday (U.S. time) under the scenario of nuclear use by North Korea, Seoul officials said, in the wake of Pyongyang's recent missile launches.

The discussion-based "table-top" exercise (TTX) comes as Seoul and Washington have stepped up joint efforts to ensure the credibility of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to using a full range of its military capabilities, including unclear, to defend its ally.

The exercise is expected to underscore the deepening of the allies' security cooperation following the North's launch of a long-range ballistic missile Saturday and of two short-range ballistic missiles Monday, observers said.

Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Heo Tae-keun is to represent the South Korean side. The U.S. side will be led by Siddharth Mohandas, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, and Richard Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction policy.

The exercise will simulate a scenario of North Korean nuclear use, and discuss crisis management and military response measures, as well as ways to strengthen the U.S.' extended deterrence, it added.

On Thursday, TTX participants plan to visit the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, a southeastern coastal base home to key nuclear submarines, in what would be a show of America's naval heft.

The visit would mark the first joint visit by South Korean and U.S. delegations to a base operating U.S. nuclear-powered submarines, a pillar of the key U.S. nuclear delivery capabilities.

Launched in 2011, the TTX had been held annually. But under the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration keen on inter-Korean rapprochement, it took place only twice, including the last edition in Seoul in September 2021.

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