Military chief holds talks with U.S. transportation commander over alliance, drills

South Korea’s top military officer met with the chief of the U.S. Transportation Command on Monday and discussed ways to bolster cooperation, such as regularizing combined transportation drills, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and Gen. Randall Reed held talks in Seoul, where they concurred on the need to cooperate in the area of transportation to ensure the swift deployment of U.S. augmenting forces on the Korean Peninsula in the event of a contingency.

They also agreed to closely work together on strengthening the interoperability of transportation assets through regular training, according to the South Korean military.

During the meeting, Kim touted the South Korea-U.S. alliance as the “most exemplary and strongest” alliance that serves as a “linchpin” for stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific.

He underscored the need to establish a combined defense posture that can effectively respond to North Korea’s nuclear, missile and cyber threats that are advancing in the face of deepening cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Reed’s visit marked the first South Korea trip by the chief of the U.S. Transportation Command in 13 years.