By Jun Ji-hye
Eyes are now on which U.S. strategic military assets could be allocated to South Korea after defense chiefs from the two countries agreed to conduct a review of the weapons' deployment on a rotational basis.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter reached the agreement during the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington D.C. Defense officials said Friday that the two sides shared the need for the deployment, though they did not make any decision during the talks.
The U.S. strategic weapons include B-52, B-1B and B-2 strategic bombers, F-22 stealth fighter jets, nuclear-powered attack submarines and aircraft carriers, and Aegis destroyers.
A military source said the F-22 Raptor could be deployed to the Korean Peninsula, noting that it requires less manpower and costs to be operated compared to bombers.
"It would be comparatively easier for Washington to deploy the Raptor," he said.
The source cited the possibility that some F-22s stationed in Kadena Air Base, Japan, could be moved to South Korea.
The F-22 Raptor is cited as the world's best stealth fighter capable of evading detection by enemy radar and precisely striking targets in times of war.
Observers noted that North Korea appears to be wary of the aircraft, given that the regime attempted to conceal the whereabouts of leader Kim Jong-un when four F-22s flew over South Korea in February in a show of force after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test conducted the previous month.
The B-52, B-1B and B-2 strategic bombers could also be deployed to the South on a rotational basis, observers say.
The B-1B Lancer is a four-engine supersonic, variable-sweep wing, strategic bomber with a speed of Mach 2, faster than B-52 and B-2's speed of Mach 0.95. The Lancer is capable of carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the U.S. Air Force inventory.
The B-1B was a nuclear bomber but is no longer armed with nuclear weapons in accordance with a bilateral treaty between the United States and Russia on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. But the Lancer can carry the AGM-86B air launched cruise missiles and the AGM-69 short-range attack missile, which are capable of striking the North's key nuclear facilities as well as its military leadership.
The B-52 and B-2 are capable of being armed with nuclear weapons, according to experts.
Among naval assets, a nuclear-powered attack submarine could possibly be deployed in the East Sea with a mission to patrol around North Korean submarine bases without being detected and trail submarines carrying ballistic missiles heading out to sea.
In February, the nuclear-powered sub USS North Carolina, a Virginia-class attack submarine, commissioned by the U.S. Navy in May 2008, participated in a joint exercise held in the East Sea. The sub is capable of carrying Tomahawk all-weather cruise missiles and Mark 48 torpedoes, and has a crew of 130.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), home-ported at Yokosuka in Japan, is also among the U.S. strategic assets, but observers note that the odds of it being deployed to the peninsula are not great as it does not make a big difference between being stationed in Japan or South Korea.
Some say Aegis-equipped destroyers carrying SM-3 interceptor missiles would be a better deployment option.