US-Japan-ROK Extended Deterrence Dialogue
Abstract
The US extended deterrent in Northeast Asia is under strain. Despite progress in trilateral cooperation to address North Korean threats, key features of the regional security environment are evolving in ways that do not facilitate collaboration. Pacific Forum CSIS will use the “US-Japan-ROK Extended Deterrence Dialogue” to build upon previous DTRA-sponsored Track-1.5 discussions and bring together US, Japanese, and South Korean military and civilian officials and non-governmental experts and scholars to examine how they would and should deal with regional nuclear crises. This initiative builds on five years of constructive and penetrating trilateral meetings (which were preceded by nearly a decade of bilateral dialogue with each ally), helping to generate consensus on understandings and action, and exposing divergences among the three countries that threaten to jeopardize trilateral coordination and cooperation to reinforce deterrence, control proliferation, and deter and defeat an enemy in the event of conflict. Scheduled to take place in Hawaii in spring 2018, this dialogue will use a simulation exercise (if thought to be the best methodology) to compare perspectives among the three countries regarding extended deterrence in Northeast Asia, and probe how each assess and respond to nuclear challenges in that region. Each ally has track-1 extended deterrence dialogue with the United States, and there are trilateral initiatives, ranging from high-level meetings to trilateral military exercises. Nevertheless, there is no venue for officials and experts from all three countries to engage on these issues, nor is there a Japan-ROK bilateral conversation like those of the US with each ally. Those are two important shortcomings that, judging from previous meetings, can prevent the US and its partners from successfully responding to security challenges and crisis escalation in particular. Our meeting will compare perspectives, expose assumptions, and test reactions to crisis in Northeast Asia, all to better prepare the three governments for collaboration and cooperation to strengthen extended deterrence. Conducting the US-Japan-ROK Extended Deterrence Dialogue and its associated reporting and briefings supports the mission of DTRA to safeguard the US and its allies from global WMD threats by integrating, synchronizing, and providing expertise, technologies, and capabilities. The initiative will be led by Ralph Cossa, President of the Pacific Forum CSIS.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 17, 2018
- Source ID
- FA70001810003
Entities
People
- Brad Glosserman
Organizations
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- United States Air Force Academy