03 June 2003
Wolfowitz Cites Deterrence, Burden-Sharing with Korea
(Deputy Defense Secretary's remarks in Seoul June 2) (3190)
Deterrence and burden-sharing are the two principal considerations
guiding the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea (ROK), says
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
"Deterrence remains a key objective of our common defense posture," he
told members of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul
during a speech June 2.
"To strengthen deterrence, we need to take advantage of new technology
to counter North Korean asymmetric advantages," he said. "The changes
we make should help to sustain a strong alliance over the long run, by
reducing unnecessary burdens on both sides and ensuring that the
alliance will remain relevant far into the future."
Discussion are underway about a new force structure for both
countries, according to Wolfowitz.
The United States, he said, "plans to enhance more than 150
capabilities, representing a substantial investment over the next four
years in the ROK-U.S. alliance. As this process unfolds, we are
confident that Korea will make comparable and complementary
investments to improve its own capabilities."
Noting that South Korea "is the most wired country in the world,"
Wolfowitz expressed the U.S. hope "to see your military become the
most wired military in the world."
"Mutually agreed parallel investments by the Korean-U.S. partnership
will amply demonstrate that our nations have the will to do what is
necessary to ensure deterrence, security, and stability," he said. "A
necessary part of this enhancement of our deterrence involves our
basing structure, where we locate our forces to gain maximum advantage
from the new capabilities we are pledging to bring to Korea."
"This requirement to organize and position ourselves to best utilize
our capabilities exists throughout the world in every location where
we base or operate forces and changing those arrangements is not
unique to Korea," he continued. "The future of the alliance
necessarily requires a force structure that is sustainable over the
long run. The American people must be convinced that we have a
long-term plan for our presence in Korea."
Wolfowitz urged both Koreans and Americans "to move beyond outmoded
concepts or catch phrases such as the term trip wire."
"It is wrong to think that the trip wire for our commitment in Korea
has anything to do with how many U.S. troops are arranged in any
particular location on the peninsula. Our response to aggression will
be one with yours, united, immediate, and devastatingly effective. The
real trip wire is the letter and spirit of our mutual defense treaty,
backed up by the substance of our alliance and our strong military
forces," he said.
Following is a transcript of Wolfowitz's remarks, as released by the
Department of Defense:
(begin transcript)
United States Department of Defense
DoD News Briefing
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
Monday, June 2, 2003
Wolfowitz: Thank you very much, Vice Chairman Lee. Thank you for
bringing together such a distinguished audience on such short notice.
I know from speaking to your chairman's brother, sitting next to me at
lunch, that the chairman is in Kuwait, or he would be here with us.
I'm glad he's in Kuwait and I hope there's good business for Korean
businesses in Kuwait in [inaudible] rebuilding Iraq. I wanted very
much to have a chance to speak to the business community because I
know that perhaps nowhere in the world are our security relations as
important to the business and economic environment as they are here in
Korea. So I think it's very important to have a chance to discuss our
thinking about security issues for a business audience, and I
appreciate your giving me that opportunity.
Ladies and gentlemen, this October, the people of the Republic of
Korea and the people of the United States will celebrate together the
50th anniversary of the signing of the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty.
The anniversary and the relationship it represents are unique, and we
celebrate them. The alliance we honor has changed the course of
history -- and changed it for the better. Substantial blood, treasure,
and mutual commitment have been invested in this alliance by the
citizens of our two countries. We must do everything possible to
maintain its strength and its health for the sake of future
generations of Koreans and Americans. Today I'd like to discuss
America's commitment to the security of Korea and reiterate the firm
intention of the United States to continue doing our part in
protecting this extraordinary alliance.
Our alliance is a remarkable and unqualified success. It has stood its
ground and defended this nation for half a century as Korea emerged
from a massively destructive war and went on to prosper, both
economically and politically. Korea is now the world's 12th largest
economy, with a thriving democracy that is the envy of the world. As
Korea's ally, the United States is proud of your success, and proud of
the role that our alliance together has played in guaranteeing the
security that was necessary for that success. I come to you today as a
longstanding believer in the importance of U.S.-Korean friendship and
as someone who's been working for almost 30 years to preserve and
strengthen our alliance. We admire the accomplishments of the Korean
people in building a prosperous and democratic country, often in the
face of great adversity. For your sake, but equally for the sake of
our country, we want that success to be sustained in future decades.
As Korea has prospered economically and politically, your military has
kept pace as well. Your military has evolved dramatically over just
the last 10 years. Returning to government service after an absence of
eight years, I was extremely impressed by the progress that Korea's
defense establishment has made, by the maturity of Korea's military
capabilities, and by the confidence with which your military forces
are fulfilling their mission.
Underlining Korea's new importance in world affairs, your leaders have
been willing to commit Republic of Korea forces where it really
counts, on the ground, to ensure peace, when and where needed. In
recent years, Korean forces have stood guard, not only here at home,
but they have deployed internationally to keep the peace in East
Timor, and more recently to assist in reconstruction in Afghanistan.
As we sit here this afternoon, Korean troops have just arrived in Iraq
and are working to help build a new and free Iraq. In fact, the Korean
commitment to dispatch a construction battalion and a medical unit to
serve in Iraq is another contribution to building a better world. The
mass graves that are being uncovered in Iraq every day bear witness to
the fact that Saddam Hussein is responsible for the deaths of more
Muslims than any other individual ever. The Iraqi people deserve
something far better than that. We are pleased that Korea, whose own
history represents a victory of democracy over aggression and tyranny,
will be part of the coalition that gives the Iraqi people that chance.
President Roh's decision to lead the Korean nation to support freedom
in Iraq, so soon after taking office, demonstrates real leadership.
President Roh and his national security team understand the importance
of Korea placing its military capabilities in difficult locations
where they are needed to assist peoples and nations in need of help.
That action further enhances Korea's international prestige and
standing. These are noble actions on the part of the government and
the citizens of Korea. All of you here today should be justly proud
that your armed forces have risen to the challenge. We welcome Korean
troops as our brothers in arms in company with other like-minded
nations who are willing to step up today's security challenges; the
challenges of fighting terrorism and building a better world beyond
the war on terror, a world that the terrorists seek to obstruct and
destroy. We are there together in Afghanistan and in Iraq because we
share the same values. It is not a coincidence that many of the same
nations with which Korea is serving today came to the assistance of
your country 50 years ago. In a sense, it is now Korea's turn and we
are pleased that you have risen to the challenge.
I have just come from an excellent meeting with President Roh at the
Blue House. He is an impressive man and I can tell you first hand that
his recent visit to Washington, DC was an unqualified success, a
success that has strengthened the close relationship between our two
countries. I mentioned to President Roh that yesterday I had the honor
and the pleasure to meet with American soldiers, airmen, and Marines
who are serving us all here in Korea. We are immensely proud of these
young Americans who volunteered to serve their country, the United
States of America, and through that service, these young Americans are
enabling us to honor both the spirit and the letter of our commitment
to you and to this great alliance.
These strong, smart, dedicated, and disciplined Americans who have
come to Korea, have come to Korea to ensure the peace. They know why
they are here and they know what is expected of them by America and by
Korea. They are prepared to do the hard work and take the real risks
to defend our common security. We are lucky to have their service and
they are proud to be here with you and I know that you understand and
that you value their commitment just as much as we do.
As Korea's overall posture in the world has evolved and as Korea has
stepped forward to meet international security needs, the nature of
international conflict and security structures has changed also. In
recent years, the pace of this change has accelerated and, in so
changing, has presented us with new challenges, new opportunities, and
new dynamics. To preserve the foundation of our alliance, to improve
the integration of our forces, and to enhance the deterrence value of
our military posture here on the peninsula, we need to make
adjustments. We need to do so together and to do so carefully. We need
to make sure we get it right and we get it right together. We are
aware of the importance of preserving the foundation of 50 years of
successful deterrence and we are aware that everything we do should
enhance, not diminish, the credibility of our deterrent.
The commitment that we should examine together the needs for change
and determine an improved structure for our alliance was made this
past December when our two Defense Ministers met in Washington, DC. At
that time, we agreed that it was appropriate, particularly with the
50th anniversary of our alliance approaching, to take stock of how we
evolve the alliance to best meet the challenges and opportunities of
the next decade. This review in Korea is part of a process of taking a
fundamental look at the U.S. military posture worldwide, including in
the United States itself. Today we face a very different threat than
the one we faced historically. Our forces have very different kinds of
capabilities, dramatically improved capabilities, capabilities we've
never had before, and it is appropriate to look at how those forces
are postured, how we can get the greatest effectiveness out of them,
with the same basic commitment to stability and deterrence that we've
had all along.
The main drivers for this posture review are fairly straightforward.
First, we have developed and battle tested and the world has seen an
entirely new capability for long-range, high-precision targeting,
which exponentially increases our war fighting capabilities. Second,
we have learned to organize ourselves with intelligence collection
systems and new approaches to information management in completely new
ways. Our ability to integrate our forces into joint operations has
provided another exponential increase in military effectiveness.
Third, to adapt to a world in which potential threats have become more
unpredictable, we place a great premium on mobility, on the ability to
move great distances rapidly, and to use temporary basing solutions as
needed.
Subsequent to the meeting of our two defense ministers last December,
we have fought and won a war in Iraq. New lessons were learned there.
New capabilities were tested and refined. Those experiences and those
capabilities can be added to our review of alliance planning efforts.
So far, we have met twice to begin our dialogue about the future of
the alliance. We plan to meet as often as necessary to complete the
process. Our goal is to reach a mutual understanding no later than the
end of this year, so that we can implement the agreed changes to both
forces next year. While change is often difficult, change is also
positive. We are determined that the changes we make will enhance the
quality of our alliance with the Republic of Korea, will strengthen
deterrence on the Korean peninsula, and will reinforce stability in
Northeast Asia more generally.
As we discuss in Korea how best to transform both our forces, U.S. and
Korean, to ensure the continuing effectiveness of our alliance, we are
guided by two principal considerations. First, deterrence remains a
key objective of our common defense posture. To strengthen deterrence,
we need to take advantage of new technology to counter North Korean
asymmetric advantages. Second, the changes we make should help to
sustain a strong alliance over the long run, by reducing unnecessary
burdens on both sides and ensuring that the alliance will remain
relevant far into the future. As our discussions progress here in
Korea in the coming weeks and months, and as we work out the details
of our new force structure for both our countries, we will be making
firm commitments to incorporate these new capabilities promptly and as
they become available here in Korea. In fact, as General LaPorte
explained publicly last week, the U.S. plans to enhance more than 150
capabilities, representing a substantial investment over the next four
years in the ROK-U.S. alliance. As this process unfolds, we are
confident that Korea will make comparable and complementary
investments to improve its own capabilities. I might note, in this
regard, I'm impressed at the statistic that says Korea is the most
wired country in the world. We'd like to see your military become the
most wired military in the world.
Mutually agreed parallel investments by the Korean-U.S. partnership
will amply demonstrate that our nations have the will to do what is
necessary to ensure deterrence, security, and stability. A necessary
part of this enhancement of our deterrence involves our basing
structure, where we locate our forces to gain maximum advantage from
the new capabilities we are pledging to bring to Korea. This
requirement to organize and position ourselves to best utilize our
capabilities exists throughout the world in every location where we
base or operate forces and changing those arrangements is not unique
to Korea. The future of the alliance necessarily requires a force
structure that is sustainable over the long run. The American people
must be convinced that we have a long-term plan for our presence in
Korea.
Just as the Korean citizens are the ultimate judge of the use of
Korean forces, the citizens of the United States will best support the
commitment of their sons and daughters to Korea's defense only if they
are confident that our plans are sound and are regularly updated.
Whatever changes we make, no one should doubt our fundamental
commitment to the security of Korea. America has stood with you for
more than 50 years. American lives are on the line alongside your own.
Ten years ago, our two countries agreed on some important changes to
our defense posture on the peninsula, including the removal of
tactical nuclear weapons. Those changes did not weaken deterrence.
Indeed, our deterrent today is stronger than ever, but it can get
stronger still.
This is a time to move beyond outmoded concepts or catch phrases such
as the term trip wire. It is wrong to think that the trip wire for our
commitment in Korea has anything to do with how many U.S. troops are
arranged in any particular location on the peninsula. Our response to
aggression will be one with yours, united, immediate, and
devastatingly effective. The real trip wire is the letter and spirit
of our mutual defense treaty, backed up by the substance of our
alliance and our strong military forces.
As I stand before you today, to pledge our best efforts to preserve
and protect our alliance, I am moved to recall that in a few days
another anniversary of a sad event will be upon us, the deaths of two
young girls. Last year, on June 13, a tragic accident devastated two
families and created doubt and anger about our military presence here
in Korea. I join with other Americans, including President Bush and
Secretary Rumsfeld, to offer my deepest personal condolences to the
families of those two schoolgirls. I assure you the U.S. military has
not forgotten these two beautiful young girls. In remembering their
lives and regretting their tragic deaths, we must work together to
prevent such tragedies from happening. In the past year, U.S. Forces
Korea and your government have worked hard to develop new procedures
to prevent a recurrence of such a tragic event and this past Friday,
our two countries signed an agreement to implement new safety
measures.
In conclusion, I have tried today to explain the purpose of this study
of the Future of the Alliance. Its focus is improved deterrence based
on the phased and carefully coordinated introduction of enhanced
capabilities by both the United States and the Republic of Korea. We
need to shape and enhance and align our forces in a manner that best
utilizes the increased deterrent power we can bring to bear on this
peninsula and into the region. Our actions will enhance our continued
presence on the peninsula and help to keep this alliance strong for
another half century.
In closing, may I thank KCCI for giving me this opportunity and this
wonderful venue to speak to the leadership of Korea's business
community and to speak to the Korean people. We need your support to
properly enhance our alliance and I know we can count on you. Let no
one doubt the firmness of our resolve or the commitment we have
pledged to the future of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Bound by a common goal
of peace and the principles of freedom that we cherish, we will
continue to build prosperity and strength and security on this
peninsula and throughout Northeast Asia. A line from an ancient Korean
verse captures the essence of our partnership, Waters rising from deep
springs never fail in drought. Forming a river they flow on to the
sea. Our partnership is nourished by freedom's deep springs, which do
indeed form a river that will lead both our countries to peace and
prosperity.
Thank you very much.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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