Joint Press Statement for the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue

 Sept. 18, 2026 |

The U.S. Department of War (DoW) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND) held the 29th Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) on September 16-18, 2026 in Busan.

Mr. George LeMeur, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (DASW) for East Asia, led the U.S. delegation. Deputy Minister (DEPMIN) for National Defense Policy, Dr. Kim Hong-Cheol, led the ROK delegation. Key senior U.S. and ROK defense and foreign affairs officials also participated in the dialogue.

During the meeting, both sides assessed the progress and work in implementing follow-up measures in the areas of defense cooperation within the Joint Fact Sheet between the U.S. and ROK Presidents and the 57th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) Joint Communique last year.

Both sides evaluated the work to modernize the Alliance in the face of an evolving security environment. They also assessed progress on the Conditions-based Wartime Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Plan (COTP), and pledged to strengthen cooperation to accelerate the transition of wartime OPCON.

They visited major defense industry sites together to further bolster cooperation in areas of shipbuilding and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities, enhancing mutual understanding on key defense issues.

The two sides pledged to maintain close and continuous consultations on matters pertinent to the security of the ROK-U.S. Alliance going forward.

Navy to Commission New Guided Missile Destroyer KIDD

The Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, the USS Kidd, Saturday, June 9, 2007, during an 8 p.m. CDT ceremony in Galveston, Texas.

Designated hull number DDG 100, the new destroyer honors Medal of Honor recipient Rear Adm. Isaac Campbell Kidd Sr. On Dec. 7, 1941, Kidd was commander of Battleship Division One and the senior officer present afloat during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From the bridge of his flagship, the USS Arizona, Kidd directed the counterattack against enemy aircraft until the magazine of Arizona exploded by enemy ordnance, eventually sinking the ship. Kidd was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Regina Kidd Wolbarsht and Mary Corrinne Kidd Plumer will serve as sponsors of the ship named for their grandfather.

Two previous U.S. Navy destroyers have been named in honor of Kidd. The first ship was a Fletcher-class destroyer that was in service from 1943-1974. It is now a floating veterans' memorial and museum in Baton Rouge, La. The second, the lead ship of the Kidd-class destroyers, was also built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. It served from 1981-1998 and was sold to Taiwan in 2004 and renamed Tzuo-Ying, and given the hull number designation DDG 1803.

The newest USS Kidd is the 50th ship in the Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers. This multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of strategic maritime operations. Kidd will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously.

Cmdr. Richard E. Thomas of Westwood, N.J., is the ship's first commanding officer and will lead her crew of 276 officers and sailors. The 9,200-ton Kidd has an overall length of 511 feet, a waterline beam of 59 feet and a navigational draft of 33 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4.

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