[David Santoro] New US-Korea defense matrix

Kim Jong-un’s recent commissioning of North Korea’s largest-ever warship, the Choe Hyon, alongside a fleet of strategic nuclear cruisers, signals that the threat has broken out of its peninsula box. The US-South Korea alliance must thus adapt to this new reality. Action is urgent because broader regional tensions are surging as well, and the new US National Defense Strategy demands that allies assume “primary responsibility” for theater defense. Fortunately, this mandate aligns well with Preside