U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Japan Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Gen. YOSHIDA Yoshihide, and Republic of Korea (ROK) Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Kim Myung-soo convened a Trilateral Chiefs of Defense Meeting on July 18, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan.
The Tri-CHOD leaders exchanged assessments on the regional security situation, including on the Korean Peninsula, reviewed progress made in trilateral security cooperation and information sharing, and discussed concrete ways to deepen trilateral security cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond. They also reaffirmed the importance of continuing the momentum of the new era of trilateral security cooperation advanced by the Camp David Summit in August 2023.
The Tri-CHOD leaders stressed the importance of enhancing close trilateral coordination in response to the provocations posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). During a trilateral site visit to Yokota Air Base, they reaffirmed the progress since the Camp David Summit in August 2023 and the Trilateral Ministerial Meeting in June 2024, including the practical cooperation for a real-time trilateral missile warning data sharing mechanism to counter DPRK missiles.
The Tri-CHOD leaders underscored their commitment to safeguarding the peace and stability of Northeast Asia. They condemned the DPRK’s continued development of its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs and provocations as well as the growing military cooperation between DPRK and Russia which took place in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the procurement and use of DPRK’s ballistic missiles. They urged the DPRK to cease all destabilizing activities immediately. They pledged to continue coordination toward the complete denuclearization of the DPRK in accordance with relevant UNSCRs. Gen. Brown reiterated the United States’ commitment to the defense of Japan and the ROK remains ironclad.
While focusing on opportunities for enhanced trilateral security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific, the Tri-CHOD leaders exchanged views on geopolitical trends shaping the regional security environment. Recalling the publicly announced position of each of the three countries regarding the escalatory, dangerous, and aggressive behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea and throughout the region, the Tri-CHOD leaders reaffirmed their enduring commitment to international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and voiced opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.
The Tri-CHOD leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. There is no change in their basic positions on Taiwan, and they called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
The Tri-CHOD leaders recognized the progress on trilateral security cooperation since the Camp David Summit in August 2023 and the Defense Ministerial Meeting in June 2024, including the inaugural execution of exercise Freedom Edge in June 2024, a trilateral multi-domain exercise aimed at building greater interoperability among forces. Multiple ships and aircraft from Japan, ROK, and the U.S., participated in the exercise, focusing on cooperative Ballistic Missile Defense, Air Defense, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Search and Rescue, Maritime Interdiction, and Defensive Cyber training. The Tri-CHOD leaders affirmed their commitment to expanding the Freedom Edge exercise and discussed additional ways to institutionalize trilateral cooperation in support of a shared regional vision for peace, stability, and deterrence.
Throughout the discussions, the Tri-CHOD leaders underscored that U.S.-Japan-ROK security cooperation is critical not only to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region but also to their shared global interests. They underscored the importance of working together with allies and partners to address global security challenges. The Tri-CHOD leaders pledged to remain in close consultation and continue to strengthen trilateral security cooperation to advance peace and security on the Korean peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific, and beyond. In addition, they agreed to convene the 2025 Tri-CHOD meeting in the Republic of Korea.