Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said defense leaders from the U.S., Japan and South Korea agreed trilateral and multilateral cooperation is needed among the three countries to counter North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear threats, DoD News reported Tuesday.
“That includes missile defense and any planning and focus on the nuclear threat posed by North Korea,†Dunford said Sunday during a meeting at U.S. Pacific Command’s headquarters in Hawaii.
Dunford met with Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, Japan’s self-defense force chief of staff; and Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, chairman of South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff; to discuss the threat posed by North Korea.
“Essentially, in the next year the chiefs of defense agreed to improve ballistic missile defenses, all wrapped up with better sharing of data, and to conduct routine exercises to ensure we have a coherent collective response to ballistic missile defense,â€Â Dunford told reporters after the meeting.
He also cited the potential role of multilateralism in anti-submarine warfare, disaster response and maritime interdiction exercises.
The military leaders also agreed to conduct two meetings in the coming year, the report added.
