JANUARY 13, 2025 – The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) convened the fourth Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Washington, D.C. on January 10, 2025. The NCG is an enduring bilateral consultative body to strengthen extended deterrence that contributes to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Cara Abercrombie, who is performing the duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and Dr. Cho Chang Lae, ROK Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy. Other participants included 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.
During the meeting, both sides welcomed NCG work that has bolstered nuclear deterrence and the response capabilities of the Alliance over the last year through in-depth discussions on all areas of extended deterrence, including information sharing, consultative mechanisms, and joint planning and execution.
The United States reaffirmed its commitment to the ROK is enduring and ironclad. And any nuclear attack by the DPRK will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response. The United States reiterated that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime. The U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. Moreover, both sides noted the continuously strengthened extended deterrence cooperation between the United States and the ROK through the ongoing work of existing consultation bodies, including the NCG, the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, and the Security Consultative Meeting.
The NCG co-chairs reviewed the progress on NCG workstreams, including on security and information sharing protocols; nuclear and strategic planning; conventional-nuclear integration (CNI); exercises, simulations, and trainings; nuclear consultation and strategic communication processes during crises and contingencies; the establishment of dedicated secure communication systems; and strategic messaging. NCG Principals also discussed various efforts to maintain and strengthen nuclear deterrence policy and posture, in accordance with the United States and Republic of Korea Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula (Guidelines), which is a key document for enhancing U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner.
The NCG co-chairs applauded the progress towards nuclear and strategic planning, especially on the CNI workstream developed by defense components, including ROK Strategic Command, U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Strategic Command. This includes working in lockstep to closely connect the capabilities and planning activities of the new ROK Strategic Command to the Alliance’s combined defense posture.
The NCG Principals assessed that NCG activities, like the Nuclear Deterrence Immersion Course, the NCG Simulation, and a military-to-military table-top exercise (TTX), contribute to deepening cooperative and coordinated decision-making on nuclear deterrence and, developing a joint approach to planning for nuclear contingencies.
The United States also reaffirmed the commitment to enhance the regular visibility of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, the co-chairs decided to continue advancing ways to conduct U.S.-ROK conventional and nuclear integration exercises and trainings.
Both sides agreed that the NCG is an enduring bilateral consultative body, tailored to the U.S.-ROK Alliance, that has deepened U.S.-ROK extended deterrence cooperation. Furthermore, the co-chairs underscored that the NCG will continue to function as a solid foundation for strengthening U.S.-ROK extended deterrence in an integrated manner. The NCG Principals agreed to continue making swift, substantive progress on NCG workstreams, including, based on the outcomes of the 56th Meeting of the Security Consultative Meeting.
The NCG co-chairs approved an NCG workplan and key activities for the first half of 2025, which include convening the fifth principal-level NCG meeting in the ROK.
An NCG fact sheet, outlining key workstreams, participants, and accomplishments can be found here.