ABSTRACT
In facing a nuclear-armed North Korea, the core interests of the United States and South Korea are preserving the freedom, safety and prosperity of their soldiers and citizens on the peninsula, and reducing to the greatest extent possible the risk of attacks on the American homeland. The allies do not have an interest in generating instability on the peninsula by attempting to collapse or overthrow the regime in Pyongyang. Rather, they should seek to deter its aggression, revisionism and use of military force. The most effective way to serve these defensive interests is to ensure that allied deterrence strategy, operational concepts and force posture preserve stability on the Korean Peninsula.
