PART 1 OF 4 -- ASD (APSA) GREGSON PARTICIPATES IN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 TOKYO 001879 SIPDIS DOD FOR OSD/APSA - GREGSON/MITCHELL/SCHIFFER/HILL/BASALLA/ARAKEL IAN JOINT STAFF FOR J5 - MILLER STATE FOR EAP, PM/ISN PACOM FOR J00/J01/J5 USFJ FOR J00/J01/J5 USFK FOR J00/J01/J5 E.O. 12958: DECL: AFTER KOREAN REUNIFICATION TAGS: PREL PARM MARR MNUC KN KS JA SUBJECT: PART 1 OF 4 -- ASD (APSA) GREGSON PARTICIPATES IN JULY 16-17 U.S.-JAPAN-ROK DEFENSE TRILATERAL TALKS REF: 08 SECDEF 8291 Classified By: James P. Zumwalt, Charge d'Affaires, a.i.; reasons 1.4 ( b/d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (S) The Assistant Secretary-level U.S.-Japan-ROK Defense Trilateral Talks convened July 16-17 in Tokyo. The U.S. interagency delegation, led by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA) Wallace Gregson, and the Japanese and ROK delegations, led by Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) Director General for Defense Policy Nobushige Takamizawa and ROK Ministry of National Defense (MND) Deputy Minister for Policy LTG Kim Sang-ki, respectively, discussed a broad range of security topics and briefed each other on their national policies, including updates to other extant trilateral and multilateral initiatives. The agenda topics comprised: 1) response to the DPRK's destabilizing actions, including cooperative UNSCR 1874 implementation and strategic communication; 2) national defense strategies and defense reform plans; 3) information security; 4) counter-piracy operations and cooperation; and 5) DTT forward development. ¶2. (S) All parties reaffirmed the usefulness of the role of the DTT in providing a forum for policy-level discussion on defense and security issues, as well as in acting as the ""control tower"" for other trilateral initiatives among the three governments. They made a number of recommendations for working-level staff to discuss and implement, including standing up a trilateral working group on U.S. forces realignment and base relocation, establishing a UNSCR 1874 action group to report to the next DTT plenary, and including cyber security as an agenda topic for the next plenary. The U.S. delegation proposed three ""way ahead"" initiatives -- a trilateral chiefs of defense (CHOD) meeting via secure video teleconference (SVTC),a track-1 trilateral workshop on strategic communication and crisis management at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS),and reciprocal opportunities for Japan and the ROK to observe portions of the KEEN EDGE and KEY RESOLVE/FOAL EAGLE exercises. They also proposed trilateral observation of a U.S. ballistic missile defense test shot to initiate policy-level discussion on future missile defense cooperation. The Japanese delegation supported the proposals, while the ROK delegation -- citing lingering political and diplomatic sensitivities between the ROK and Japan on the issues of exercise observation and missile defense -- promised to review all proposals in Seoul and respond at a later date. The ROK delegation confirmed it would host the next round of the DTT in June 2010. ¶3. (S) Comment: This year's DTT demonstrated considerable progress over the November 6-7, 2008 DTT in Washington both in terms of the delegations' willingness to engage and the relevance of the discussions to their major regional concerns. While some obvious signs of ROK uneasiness in discussing defense issues with Japan remain (Korean Peninsula contingency planning in particular),the South Korean participants interacted well with their Japanese counterparts in what might have been the most productive defense and security discussions among the three governments in six years. This positive trend, likely connected to North Korea's recent actions, will probably continue into the next round of the DTT. End Summary and Comment. ¶4. (U) From July 16-17, Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs Wallace Gregson and an interagency U.S. delegation participated in the U.S.-Japan-ROK Defense Trilateral Talks in Tokyo. ROK Ministry of National Defense (MND) Deputy Minister (DM) for Policy LTG Kim Sang-ki led the South Korean delegation. The Japanese delegation was headed by Ministry of Defense Bureau of Defense Policy (MOD) Director General (DG) Nobushige Takamizawa. (full delegation list in para 49) -------------- -------------- U.S.-JAPAN BILATERAL MEETING -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) ASD Gregson opened the July 16 U.S.-Japan bilateral DTT preparatory meeting praising both government's close cooperation on the DPRK's recent destabilizing actions, including responses to the July 3-4 missile launches and the North Korean vessel Kang Nam I. Both sides summarized their respective approaches and objectives for each of the DTT trilateral plenary discussion topics and briefs. -------------- Response to DPRK: -------------- ¶6. (S) MOD Strategic Planning Office Deputy Director Sugio Takahashi previewed the MOD brief on responding to North Korea's nuclear test and missile launches. He compared the current security environment to similar events leading up to the 1994 Agreed Framework, speculating that internal DPRK politics surrounding leadership succession may be driving the DPRK's actions. MOFA Deputy Director General for North American Affairs Tomita underscored the importance of implementing UNSCR 1874. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Michael Schiffer said the U.S. Government regarded the current situation with the DPRK as an ""inflection point"" in dealing with North Korea. He added that current U.S. policy on North Korea focuses on enhanced cooperation with allies in addressing the DPRK problem. ¶7. (S) USFJ Commander Lt Gen Edward Rice stressed that the DTT is a good opportunity to build upon the trilateral cooperation leading up to, during, and subsequent to the April Taepodong II (TD-2) launch. He also noted that the three governments ought to prepare the requisite architecture for policy and operational coordination, including joint planning and operations, as well as information sharing. ASD Gregson proposed that the three sides learn more about each other's approach to countering the North Korean missile threat, beginning with trilateral observation of a U.S. missile defense test shot. DG Takamizawa said the Japanese side will welcome the U.S. proposal at the plenary, but is concerned about the apparent lack of interest by the ROK. ASD Gregson pointed out that PACOM had received some indication of interest from the ROK and that the U.S. Government could explore venues where it would be productive and informative for all three sides. -------------- National Defense Strategies: -------------- ¶8. (C) ASD Gregson introduced the scope of the U.S. Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR),highlighting that consultations on the three governments' respective strategic reviews will be important for identifying areas for leveraging each side's capabilities and operational resources. DASD Schiffer introduced the QDR's four primary issue areas -- irregular warfare, high-end asymmetric capabilities, global force posture, and strengthening DOD support to civilian-led operations and activities. He noted that the review of global force posture ought to be discussed in depth with the Japanese side, as it includes key questions on U.S. force posture in the Asia-Pacific region, adding that the current QDR is the first to provide analysis and guidance on energy security and climate change. ¶9. (C) DG Takamizawa presented the overall schedule for Japan's National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG),noting that although the Cabinet Secretariat will draft the NDPG in July after incorporating a report from the civilian expert panel on defense reform (Note: As reported in ref B, this report was presented to the Prime Minister's Office on August ¶4. End Note.),the timing of Security Council deliberations in September could be affected by the August 30 Lower House elections. The new NDPG focuses on three primary areas -- maintaining national security through effective responses to a wide range of contingencies, stabilizing the regional security environment, and improving the global security environment. MOD plans to make its budget request based on these three ""pillars,"" which, unlike the 2004 NDPG, incorporates a regional perspective on Japan's defense policy. -------------- Information Security: -------------- ¶10. (C) ASD Gregson emphasized that trilateral dialogue on information security is not meant to duplicate the efforts of the Bilateral Information Security Task Force (BISTF) and the July 21-27 interagency security survey visit to Tokyo led by Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense James Hursch, nor to reveal to the ROK any sensitive discussions between the United States and Japan in BISTF channels. Rather, the trilateral discussion will focus on information security in broader policy terms, as cooperation in this area is a foundational element for other forms of trilateral cooperation. Cyber attacks are particularly relevant to all three countries, as all three governments face the same challenges from the same actors. While sensitivities exist among all three countries, opening a conversation on this topic could lead to advantages, including a trilateral agreement on information sharing and cooperation, Gregson asserted. ¶11. (C) Takamizawa stressed that bilateral cooperation between Japan and the ROK on information security is crucial for strengthening cooperation in nearly every other area, which also affects the level of trilateral cooperation with the United States. He pointed out that, to date, bilateral discussion between Japan and the ROK on information security has been lackluster, which South Korean officials also acknowledge. Given difficulties in Japan-ROK bilateral discussions on the issue, the Japanese side hopes the U.S. presentation could provide the ""break"" that would allow Japan-ROK discussions to move forward. MOFA's Tomita echoed Takamizawa's points, underscoring the need for an institutional framework for information security discussions with the ROK. Japan Joint Staff J-5 Director RADM Hiroo Hatanaka praised the U.S. proposal, adding that trilateral information security dialogue is timely. -------------- Counter-piracy: -------------- ¶12. (C) RADM Hatanaka provided a summary of Japan's counter-piracy operations near the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, including prior legal constraints on protecting non-Japanese vessels that, as of July 24, will no longer exist. ASD Gregson reiterated the U.S. Government's appreciation for Japan's counter-piracy operations. Joint Staff J-5 Northeast Asia Branch Chief COL Frank Miller welcomed changes in Japanese law allowing the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) to protect non-Japanese ships and urged Japan to consider joining CTF 151. Working under a single command structure could allow for more effective operations, Miller noted. ZUMWALT