The head of the United States Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, announced on Tuesday, January 31, that Washington is determined to use nuclear weapons in order to secure South Korea. Austin’s press conference was broadcast on the US Defense Department’s Twitter.
“The states are firmly committed to the extended deterrence commitment, which involves the use of the full range of US military capabilities, including conventional and nuclear weapons,” he said.
Austin drew attention to the fact that last year an unprecedented number of provocations were carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Washington and Seoul condemn Pyongyang’s “dangerous actions”, they bring destabilization to the situation in the region, the US Secretary of Defense stressed.
As Austin added, one of the largest military contingents of the United States is in South Korea – 28.5 thousand American troops. This demonstrates the commitment of the United States to the goal of “maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
In addition, on January 31, the US and South Korean defense ministers issued a joint statement pointing to the need to expand the scope of joint exercises this year. The parties agreed to strengthen cooperation on the exchange of information on the missile threat posed by the DPRK.
Earlier, on January 3, the office of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol said that the country was in talks with the United States on the exchange of data and the joint implementation of plans, the essence of which is nuclear exercises.
On January 1, it became known that the representatives of the United States, Japan and South Korea on nuclear issues condemned the DPRK’s plans to build up its nuclear potential. Representatives of the three countries warned that Pyongyang’s actions would increase its isolation and provoke a defensive response from Seoul and Washington. They also said they were leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea.
