Rep. Bera Presses Trump Official on U.S. Extended Deterrence Commitments to South Korea

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, pressed the State Department on the strength of U.S. extended deterrence commitments to the Korean Peninsula and the status of security cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

During a hearing with Thomas G. DiNanno, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State, Bera underscored growing concern among the South Korean public about regional security threats and the importance of maintaining clear, credible U.S. commitments to the alliance.

Bera noted that anxiety over North Korea’s continued threat environment has contributed to increased public debate in South Korea over independent nuclear capabilities. He pointed to the Washington Declaration as an important step in reinforcing deterrence and reassuring the Korean public of the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Korean Peninsula.

In his questioning, Bera pressed for an update on U.S. implementation of the extended deterrence commitments laid out in the Washington Declaration, including strategic asset rotations meant to reassure the Korean public and strengthen deterrence on the Korean Peninsula. He also sought an update on ongoing U.S.-ROK discussions over South Korea’s interest in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines as part of broader efforts to strengthen allied maritime readiness and long-term security cooperation.

A longtime advocate for strong U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific, Bera has consistently emphasized the importance of close coordination with South Korea and Japan to preserve peace, stability, and deterrence in the region.

You can watch their exchange here and read the transcript below: 

REP. BERA: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

As the ranking Democrat on East Asia, I’ve spent a lot of time with our allies in Korea, talking to the Korean National Assembly, their government, and others.

One thing that’s been concerning over the last few years has been the sentiment within the Korean public about obtaining their own nuclear deterrence. You know, you see polls that show over 60%, perhaps sometimes over 70%, of the public being concerned about, obviously, the threats from North Korea, stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It’s part of the reason why I was very supportive of the Washington Declaration under the Biden administration, which did step up our rotations of nuclear-armed submarines and other assets to reassure the Korean public about our commitments and our deterrence strategy.

Mr. Undersecretary, could you give me an update on the status of our commitments under the Washington Declaration, if we still are seeing those rotations of nuclear submarines and our commitments for nuclear deterrence, both on the Korean Peninsula, but also in East Asia with our Japanese allies?

UNDER SECRETARY DINANNO: Yes, sir. Thanks for the question.

So, as I’m sure you know, the Trump administration, on the President’s visit there laid out a comprehensive set of policies across economics, the military, as well as civil nuclear cooperation.

Specifically, my role, to your question on the extended deterrence commitments: to the point about the potential chatter or rumors about, or discussions of, the ROK having their own nuclear deterrent, the strongest way that we can prevent that is by being committed to the U.S. extended deterrence.

BERA: So you’re reassuring me that our commitments to extended deterrence to the Korean Peninsula are as ironclad as they have ever been?

DINANNO: Well, sir, I mean, take the President’s word for it. I mean, you know, we do that.

BERA: Another question. The Koreans have asked for the ability to have their own nuclear-powered submarines. I think the President has addressed that in the affirmative, that he’s willing to work with the Koreans to create some of the nuclear-powered submarines as part of our alliance. Can you give us an update on that?

DINANNO: Uh, yeah, just real quick back to extended deterrence, I’ll just get to the second question. The President himself on the Peninsula was very clear in his commitment to the U.S. extended deterrence umbrella. So there can be no clearer message.

BERA: Okay. 

DINANNO: One other point there is, I as Undersecretary, am planning a trip, that we continue to engage with the Koreans. And you can’t just say it once and walk away. We have to continue to work on it. And we do. Specific to nuclear submarines, as part of the joint fact sheet, we’re going through a pretty extensive process. Interagency is very active on building teams, who would go, what our deliverables would be, because they’re extensive. One workstream there is nuclear submarines. That’s really a shared responsibility, more so the War Department on the infrastructure, on the actual, you know, the State Department piece of that, my piece of that will be on the any potential nuclear fuel.

BERA: And again, if you can keep Congress informed on the progress of those talks, obviously it’s important for us to continue to support our Korean allies and continue to have those assets and capabilities.

DINANNO: Yeah it’s very robust. It’s ongoing, and we’re planning to go.