ACCESSION NUMBER:325361 FILE ID:POL405 DATE:02/03/94 TITLE:DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 (02/03/94) TEXT:*94020305.POL DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 NEWS BRIEFING: Deputy spokesman Dennis Boxx discussed the following topics: NO DECISION MADE YET ON PATRIOTS OR TEAM SPIRIT EXERCISE No decision has been made yet on whether to send U.S. Patriot anti-missile defense systems to the Republic of Korea or cancel the U.S.-South Korean Team Spirit military exercise, Boxx said. He said the United States continues "to look favorably" on the idea of Patriots for South Korea. Discussions are underway with South Korean officials, Boxx said, but he noted that he could not provide any timetable for Patriot deployment. The deputy spokesman said the Patriots, which were requested by the U.S. theater commander, are "purely defensive in nature" and should not be seen as provocative. He said U.S. officials will continue to encourage North Korea to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure "the continuity of safeguards." Asked about comments by North Korean officials in recent days criticizing the Patriot plan as well as the scheduled exercise, Boxx said, "we hear rhetoric often from North Korea."
