Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell provided the following readout:
On July 30, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth spoke by phone with the new Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of Defense Ahn Gyu-back. The Secretary expressed his desire to work together to ensure that the U.S.-ROK Alliance is strategically sustainable and that our combined posture on the Peninsula credibly contributes to deterrence against shared threats. The Secretary stressed the need for continuing close consultations and looks forward to meeting Minister Ahn in person during the upcoming Security Consultative Meeting.