Rep. Bera Presses Trump Official on U.S. Extended Deterrence Commitments to South Korea

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S.
Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, pressed the State Department
on the strength of U.S. extended deterrence commitments to the Korean Peninsula
and the status of security cooperation with the Republic of Korea.
During a
hearing with Thomas G. DiNanno, Under Secretary for Arms Control and
International Security at the U.S. Department of State, Bera underscored
growing concern among the South Korean public about regional security threats
and the importance of maintaining clear, credible U.S. commitments to the
alliance.
Bera noted
that anxiety over North Korea’s continued threat environment has contributed to
increased public debate in South Korea over independent nuclear capabilities.
He pointed to the Washington Declaration as an important step in reinforcing
deterrence and reassuring the Korean public of the United States’ ironclad
commitment to the defense of the Korean Peninsula.
In his
questioning, Bera pressed for an update on U.S. implementation of the extended
deterrence commitments laid out in the Washington Declaration, including
strategic asset rotations meant to reassure the Korean public and strengthen
deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. He also sought an update on ongoing
U.S.-ROK discussions over South Korea’s interest in acquiring nuclear-powered
submarines as part of broader efforts to strengthen allied maritime readiness
and long-term security cooperation.
A longtime
advocate for strong U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific, Bera has consistently
emphasized the importance of close coordination with South Korea and Japan to
preserve peace, stability, and deterrence in the region.
You can watch their exchange here and read the transcript below:
REP. BERA: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
As the ranking Democrat on East
Asia, I’ve spent a lot of time with our allies in Korea, talking to the Korean
National Assembly, their government, and others.
One thing that’s been concerning
over the last few years has been the sentiment within the Korean public about
obtaining their own nuclear deterrence. You know, you see polls that show over
60%, perhaps sometimes over 70%, of the public being concerned about,
obviously, the threats from North Korea, stability on the Korean Peninsula.
It’s part of the reason why I was
very supportive of the Washington Declaration under the Biden administration,
which did step up our rotations of nuclear-armed submarines and other assets to
reassure the Korean public about our commitments and our deterrence strategy.
Mr. Undersecretary, could you give
me an update on the status of our commitments under the Washington Declaration,
if we still are seeing those rotations of nuclear submarines and our
commitments for nuclear deterrence, both on the Korean Peninsula, but also in
East Asia with our Japanese allies?
UNDER SECRETARY DINANNO: Yes, sir. Thanks for the question.
So, as I’m sure you know, the Trump
administration, on the President’s visit there laid out a comprehensive set of
policies across economics, the military, as well as civil nuclear cooperation.
Specifically, my role, to your
question on the extended deterrence commitments: to the point about the
potential chatter or rumors about, or discussions of, the ROK having their own
nuclear deterrent, the strongest way that we can prevent that is by being
committed to the U.S. extended deterrence.
BERA: So you’re reassuring me that our commitments to extended
deterrence to the Korean Peninsula are as ironclad as they have ever been?
DINANNO: Well, sir, I mean, take the President’s word for it. I mean, you
know, we do that.
BERA: Another question. The Koreans have asked for the ability to have
their own nuclear-powered submarines. I think the President has addressed that
in the affirmative, that he’s willing to work with the Koreans to create some
of the nuclear-powered submarines as part of our alliance. Can you give us an
update on that?
DINANNO: Uh, yeah, just real quick back to extended deterrence, I’ll just
get to the second question. The President himself on the Peninsula was very
clear in his commitment to the U.S. extended deterrence umbrella. So there can
be no clearer message.
BERA: Okay.
DINANNO: One other point there is, I as Undersecretary, am planning a trip,
that we continue to engage with the Koreans. And you can’t just say it once and
walk away. We have to continue to work on it. And we do. Specific to nuclear
submarines, as part of the joint fact sheet, we’re going through a pretty
extensive process. Interagency is very active on building teams, who would go,
what our deliverables would be, because they’re extensive. One workstream there
is nuclear submarines. That’s really a shared responsibility, more so the War
Department on the infrastructure, on the actual, you know, the State Department
piece of that, my piece of that will be on the any potential nuclear fuel.
BERA: And again, if you can keep Congress informed on the progress of
those talks, obviously it’s important for us to continue to support our Korean
allies and continue to have those assets and capabilities.
DINANNO: Yeah it’s very robust. It’s ongoing, and we’re planning to go.