N. Korea among most troubling concerns due to possible nuke proliferation: Pentagon

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- The possible proliferation of nuclear material and
technology puts North Korea high on the list of Pentagon headaches, a report said
Monday.
"The instability or collapses of a WMD-armed state is among our most troubling
concerns," said the Department of Defense's Quadrennial Defense Review in clear
reference to North Korea. "Such an occurrence could lead to rapid proliferation
of WMD material, weapons and technology, and could quickly become a global crisis
posing a direct physical threat to the United States and all other nations."
The report also affirmed the U.S. security umbrella over South Korea even as
threats emerge elsewhere.
North Korea conducted its second nuclear test last year, after one in 2006, and
has boycotted the six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs,
demanding sanctions be lifted and a peace treaty signed to replace a fragile
armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The talks involve the two Koreas,
the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
North Korea's ailing leader, Kim Jong-il, believed to have suffered a stroke in
2008, is apparently ceding power to his third and youngest son, Jong-un, in the
first third-generation power transition in any communist state. Some analysts
fear a regime collapse in the process.
In order to effectively address the nuclear threat from the North, the U.S. will
continue to maintain a forward military presence in Northeast Asia and work
closely with South Korea and other allies, the report said.
"In Northeast Asia, DoD is working closely with key allies Japan and the Republic
of Korea to implement our agreed-on plans and shared visions to build a
comprehensive alliance of bilateral, regional and global scope; realign our force
postures; restructure allied security roles and capabilities; and strengthen our
collective deterrent and defense capabilities," it said.
Among the regional security challenges put forth by the report are "global
peacekeeping, stability and reconstruction operations; nonproliferation
activities; missile defense cooperation; and energy security initiatives."
The report emphasized a flexible response to threats.
"This emerging security landscape requires a more widely distributive and
adaptive U.S. presence in Asia that relies on and better leverages the
capabilities of our regional allies and partners," it said. "The United States
will work with allies and partners to continue to adapt its defense presence as
necessary to maintain regional stability and assure allies of their security,
including through the provision of extended deterrence to Japan and the Republic
of Korea."
The U.S. will "develop a more adaptive and flexible U.S. and combined force
posture on the Korean Peninsula to strengthen the alliance's deterrent and
defense capabilities," the report said. "Doing so includes continuing to advance
the ROK's lead role in the combined defense of its territory, together with the
transition of wartime operational control of the ROK military in 2012." ROK
stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
South Korea is scheduled to take back the wartime command control of its troops
in April 2012 amid concerns over a possible power vacuum after North Korea's
detonation of a nuclear device early last year.
The U.S. is also relocating its troops in Seoul and military bases near the
Demilitarized Zone with North Korea south of Seoul in the coming years with plans
to build residential areas for dependents of military personnel, which Washington
hopes will serve as the base for strategic flexibility for temporary redeployment
of U.S. forces in Korea abroad.
The U.S. maintains 28,500 troops in Korea as a legacy of the Korean War, when
American forces fought alongside South Korea against invading North Korea
supported by Chinese troops.
The troops in Korea are part of 400,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in
other nations, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
The report asserted that the U.S. "will continue to tailor its defense posture to
enhance other states' abilities to solve global security problems, and to address
challenges, including ongoing conflicts, the proliferation of nuclear technology
and theater ballistic missiles, anti-access and area-denial capabilities, and
maintain secure access to the global commons."
The U.S. will also continue to "maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear
arsenal to deter attack on the United States and our allies and partners ...
until such time as the Administration's goal of a world free of nuclear weapons
is achieved," the report said.
The U.S. will also continue its policy of maintaining the ability to stage two
wars concurrently.
"In the mid-to-long term, U.S. military forces must plan and prepare to prevail
in a broad range of operations that may occur in multiple theaters in overlapping
time frames," the report said. "This includes maintaining the ability to prevail
against two capable nation-state aggressors, but we must take seriously the need
to plan for the broadest possible range of operations -- from homeland defense
and defense support to civil authorities, to deterrence and preparedness missions
- occurring in multiple and unpredictable combinations."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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