U.S. and South Korean defense officials held the 28th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue in Washington this week.
The U.S. Department of War and the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense held two days of talks on May 12-13, 2026, according to a joint statement.
John Noh, assistant secretary of war for Indo-Pacific security affairs, and Dr. Jay Finch, acting deputy assistant secretary of war for East Asia, headed the U.S. delegation. Kim Hong-Cheol, deputy minister for national defense policy, led the South Korean side. Senior officials from both nations’ defense and foreign affairs agencies took part.
Delegates reviewed overall defense cooperation within the U.S.-ROK Alliance and discussed policy directions to strengthen its combined defense posture.
Both sides expressed commitment to advancing cooperation outlined in last November’s Joint Fact Sheet between the U.S. and ROK presidents and the 57th Security Consultative Meeting Joint Communique.
Participants concluded that the dialogue had established a basis for practical steps to bolster the alliance and anticipated deeper collaboration toward common security objectives on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
On Monday, in advance of the two-day Dialogue, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with ROK Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back to discuss “the security situation on the Korean Peninsula” and to reaffirm “the important role of the Korean-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue.”
Ahn outlined South Korea’s recent steps to boost defense spending, acquire critical capabilities, and lead peninsula defense. Hegseth underscored the need to modernize the alliance through a clear-eyed, pragmatic approach to deter threats and strengthen the combined U.S.-ROK defense posture. Both national defense leaders agreed to increase cooperation and collaboration on mutual security interests.
