Yonhap News:
The United States naval forces stationed in Japan stand ready and vigilant against North Korea’s greater-than-ever nuclear and missile threats, the commander of the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, said.
“Clearly their capabilities are greater than it was in the past. So we have to be vigilant and we would have to be ready,” Capt. Jeffrey Kim, commander of U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, said in an interview with a group of South Korean journalists held on the base on Monday.
“The (U.S.) readiness and vigilance hasn’t changed, but we have to understand that the capabilities on the other side have increased, as demonstrated by the testing which we see in the news,” the Korean-American commander said, referring to the North’s advancing nuclear and missile programs.
The Yokosuka base, home to the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, is tasked with the protection of Japan as well as the U.S.’ other regional allies including South Korea.
“All the (American) ballistic missile defense ships in Asia are stationed here, but often these ships are asked to defend other allies, South Korea,” he said. “We already have very close cooperation between the U.S. and Japan and the U.S. and South Korea … the trilateral relationship is one of the most important things that we can do here.”
Kim said the trilateral partnership is growing and that growth creates a much stronger security structure for the countries and the region.
“Let’s say, if other countries in the region see a strong trilateral organization, I think it sends a clear message about the strength of our purpose here,” he said….
