Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on the 24th (local time) that John Plum, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, was influential as the US representative of the US-Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which was set up by President Yoon Seok-yeol and President Joe Biden last month. did.
Robert Super, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy during the Trump administration, said on the same day that Deputy Secretary Plum is likely to be the US representative at the NCG, in which deputies from both the ROK and the US participate.
Assistant Secretary Plum is primarily responsible for space policy, but is also responsible for responding to weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. This is because the high-level group (HLG) under the ) is discussing the contents of nuclear operation with NATO member countries.
The NATO HLG is an organization under the NPG in which ministers participate, and deputy ministers participate to discuss nuclear policy, planning, and military posture, and report them to the NPG.
A Pentagon official said that Assistant Secretary Plum was a stronger candidate than Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Eli Ratner because he had represented the US side on nuclear issues.
The Pentagon responded that it had not announced anything about when the first NCG meeting would be held or who the US representative would be.
In addition to Deputy Assistant Secretary Plum and Deputy Assistant Secretary Narang, RFA is expected to participate as a delegation from the US side of the NCG, including Richard Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction Response, Austin Long, Deputy Director for Strategic Affairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and officials from the Indo-Pacific Command and Strategic Command.
At the US State Department, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disarmament, Verification and Compliance Alexandra Bell is expected to participate in the NCG.
Former Deputy Secretary General Super mentioned the fact that the deputy deputy secretary himself attended the US representative when discussing nuclear issues with the South Korean side while he was in office, and that the deputy secretary’s participation in the nuclear consultation group as a representative indicates that the US is taking the issue seriously. analyzed to show that
At the same time, he predicted that the NCG will likely discuss how to view the North Korean threat, what the US nuclear capability is, how the US will respond if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, and how South Korea will react at this time.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.