As tensions with North Korea remain elevated, officials in South Korea say they expect that the Pentagon will keep rotating “strategic assets” through the country, to remain fully prepared to respond militarily to any attack.
Though the Pentagon has yet to confirm it, South Korea sources say that the assets will be sent on a more regular basis to better deter North Korea.
Strategic assets generally refer to aircraft carrier battle groups, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, nuclear-powered submarines, and stealth fighter planes.
Chung Eui-young, national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, told lawmakers in Seoul that American “strategic assets” could be deployed to South Korea on a “rotational” basis before the end of the year.
“This will help us expand our defense capabilities,” he told the lawmakers, according to Park Wan-joo, spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party.
Analyst comment: These are military decisions and would not be confirmed or denied publicly by the Trump administration or the Pentagon. But these moves would certainly make sense. In fact, the Pentagon has already been rotating strategic assets through South Korea and the region, but this report indicates that such rotations may become more frequent and on a regular basis.
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