Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Outcomes of the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD)

The defense ministries of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States (US) held the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Seoul from September 27 to 28, 2021.

During the dialogue, the delegates from the two countries reaffirmed the joint goals of the complete denuclearization of and establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and agreed that the ROK-US combined forces will maintain a firm readiness posture to defend the ROK.

The two sides reaffirmed that the ROK-US alliance serves as a linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia through the ‘Security Policy Initiative (SPI),’ and agreed to seek ways to deepen and expand their cooperation.

The two sides agreed that there had been considerable progress in the transition of operational wartime control (OPCON) to the future combined forces command through a meeting of ‘Conditions-based OPCON Transition Working Group (COTWG),' and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the mutually agreed 「Conditions-based OPCON Transition Plan (COTP).」

Through the ‘Deterrence Strategy Committee (DSC),’ the two sides discussed the concepts of allied deterrence and responses which will strengthen a customized deterrence plan, in order to respond to the North’s threats, including nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and missiles, in the regional security situation.