U.S., S.Korea vow to expand military drills

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday said the United States will increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula as it strengthens joint training and operational planning with South Korea.

Austin made the comments in Seoul after he and South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-Sup agreed to further expand their combined military exercises, including a resumption of live-fire demonstrations, and continue a "timely and coordinated" deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the region, according to their offices.

In a joint news conference following their meeting, Austin and Lee said they agreed that their countries' resumption of large-scale military drills last year, including an aerial exercise involving U.S. strategic bombers in November, effectively demonstrated their combined capabilities to deter.Austin said the U.S. commitment to protecting its allies with its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear ones, remains "ironclad."