The commander of a key U.S. military unit in charge of overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal visited South Korea on Tuesday to reaffirm America’s “ironclad” commitment to its ally, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said, amid ongoing major military drills between the allies.

Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, arrived in South Korea earlier in the day as the allies have been staging the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise since Aug. 21 to strengthen the combined defense posture.

Cotton met with South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and discussed ways to strengthen the U.S.’ extended deterrence commitment to using the full-range of its military capabilities to defend its ally, according to Seoul’s defense ministry.

Lee thanked Cotton for his command’s efforts to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence posture and noted his unit’s importance in operating the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group, established through the Washington Declaration adopted by the two countries’ leaders in April.

During the meeting, Cotton described the alliance as being stronger than ever and vowed to continue efforts to strengthen the U.S.’ extended deterrence commitment, such as enhancing the visibility of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.

Earlier in the day, Cotton met with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg, and discussed South Korea’s role for peace and stability on the peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, the USFK said in a release.

He also visited CP Tango, a key U.S.-controlled wartime command bunker complex, to meet USFK Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, where he was briefed on the ongoing UFS.

During his trip, Cotton will meet with senior South Korean officials to discuss ways the two sides can contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region as discussed in the Washington Declaration and a trilateral summit also involving Japan earlier this month, according to the USFK.

On Aug. 18, President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, where they adopted a series of documents that outlined their commitments to enhance security and economic cooperation, such as launching an annual Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue.

It marks Cotton’s first visit to the Western Pacific region since taking office in December last year, according to the USFK.

“Cotton’s visit and engagements demonstrate the commitment of the Department of State, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea to combined, key regional allies and partners,” it said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency