Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says while President Trump and his diplomats continue to negotiate with North Korea,... the regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles continue to threaten the U.S. and its allies.
In a written statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday,... Shanahan said the Pentagon supports the on-going negotiations with Pyeongyang,... but needs to make sure Washington holds a strong position during the talks.
Shanahan also said he and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will meet for the first time later this month.
Among other things, the two defense chiefs will discuss their recent joint military exercises,... which were sharply scaled-down to support diplomacy with Pyeongyang.
