S. Korea, U.S. hold talks on joint military logistics cooperation

▲ Koo Sang-mo (R), chief director of military support at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and Mark Simerly, director of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, shake hands during their meeting in Seoul on Feb. 11, 2026, in this photo provided by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-defense talks

S. Korea, U.S. hold talks on joint military logistics cooperation

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- Senior defense officials of South Korea and the United States held talks in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss ways to advance their combined sustainment capabilities, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The meeting between Koo Sang-mo, the JCS' chief director of military support, and Mark Simerly, director of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), marked the first official engagement between the two organizations, the JCS said.

The two sides discussed ways to deepen their combined sustainment capabilities based on the steadfast South Korea-U.S. alliance and concurred that sustainment operations are a key deciding factor in a changing security environment.

Koo noted that cooperation with the DLA, which is tasked with defense logistics support for U.S. forces around the world, is "essential" for maintaining the combined defense posture and called for further strengthening their coordination to ensure an immediate and continued military support in the event of a contingency.

In response, Simerly said the U.S. prioritizes supply chain management through the Indo-Pacific Command to defend South Korea, which he called a key ally, and pledged to strengthen partnership with the South's JCS.

Both sides agreed to expand and hold regular communication between the two organizations to seek ways to strengthen their cooperation, the JCS said.

Simerly arrived in South Korea on Tuesday for a three-day trip focused on assessing defense logistic circumstances for the U.S. Forces Korea and the combined logistics posture. His trip marks the first such visit to South Korea by a DLA director.

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