The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) convened the third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Seoul on June 10, 2024. Established to implement the Washington Declaration between the United States and Republic of Korea in April 2023, the NCG is an enduring bilateral consultative body to strengthen the U.S.-ROK Alliance and extended deterrence to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Vipin Narang, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy and Dr. Cho Chang Lae, ROK Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy. U.S. and ROK officials from the U.S. National Security Council, the ROK National Security Office, and relevant defense, foreign affairs, intelligence, and military authorities also took part in the meeting.
During this NCG meeting, both sides assessed that the NCG has bolstered nuclear deterrence and the response capabilities of the Alliance since the inaugural NCG through in-depth discussions on all areas of extended deterrence, including information sharing, consultative mechanisms, and joint planning and execution.
NCG Principals applauded substantive progress on NCG workstreams, including on the NCG Guidelines; security and information sharing protocols; nuclear consultation and communication processes in crises and contingencies; nuclear and strategic planning; U.S.-ROK conventional and nuclear integration (CNI); strategic communications; exercises, simulations, training and investment activities; and risk reduction practices.
The NCG completed its review of the Guidelines document, which provide principles and procedures for the Alliance to maintain and strengthen the credible and effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture. Both sides agreed that the Guidelines will lay a solid foundation for strengthening U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence as equal partners.
Furthermore, NCG Principals discussed joint and combined planning and execution of U.S-ROK CNI options on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed the integration of ROK advanced conventional capabilities with U.S. nuclear operations substantively strengthens the allied deterrence and response capabilities against the DPRK nuclear and missile threat.
NCG principals applauded the second convening of the Nuclear Deterrence Immersion Course in May. 2024, through which officials from across the ROK interagency enhanced their expertise on the application of nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue close cooperation to strengthen the combined deterrence and defense posture. To this end, the NCG will leverage an interagency simulation, an NCG-led TTX, and a military-to-military TTX, as venues to exercise NCG work. In addition, both sides discussed ways to further enhance visibility of U.S. strategic assets deployments around the Korean Peninsula and to execute U.S.-ROK CNI exercises and training in relation to U.S. strategic assets deployments.
NCG principals approved the NCG work plan and proposed key activities for the second half of 2024 and reiterated their commitment to continue to achieve substantive progress on NCG workstreams in an expedited and mutually coordinated manner. The two principals will report the outcome of the NCG to the 56th U.S.-ROK Security Consultative Meeting in Washington D.C. this fall and to their respective commanders-in-chief in an appropriate manner.
The fourth principal-level NCG will be convened in the United States later this year.