U.S. and South Korean naval chiefs deepen alliance in strategic talks

BUSAN, South Korea — Senior leaders from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea and the Republic of Korea Navy convened at the ROK Busan Naval Base for the second session of a flag-level strategic dialogue focused on tightening coordination across the maritime alliance.

Hosted at the Commander, ROK Fleet Headquarters in Busan, the talks were led by Rear Adm. Sharif H. Calfee, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, and Rear Adm. Lee Jong-ee, the ROK Navy’s chief of policy. The dialogue serves as the primary forum for the two navies to address bilateral maritime alliance policy.

“Our alliance with the Republic of Korea Navy is ironclad and has been the bedrock of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula for decades,” said Calfee. “These dialogues are vital opportunities to sit down with our partners, face-to-face, and ensure we are perfectly aligned and moving forward together on our shared security goals.”

Participants discussed measures to strengthen management of the alliance, with emphasis on enhancing combined operations, training, and exercises to sustain readiness and seamless coordination.

“The discussions we had today are critical for building on our combined capabilities and ensuring we can meet any challenge,” said Calfee. “By focusing on strengthening maritime alliance management, enhancing operations, training, and exercises, improving interoperability, and extending survivable logistics, we are not just talking about strategy; we are taking tangible steps to make our combined forces more resilient, more capable, and more integrated.”

The dialogue underpins planning for future collaboration and reinforces the relationship between the two navies. The first session this year was held in February at the ROK Navy Logistics Command in Jinhae.

U.S. Naval Forces Korea serves as the U.S. Navy’s representative in South Korea, providing naval leadership and expertise in support of the alliance.