By Focus | 2025-09-18

The 14th Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Defense from September 8-10, brought together senior defense officials, diplomats and analysts to address regional and global security challenges.

Since its inception in 2012, the Seoul Defense Dialogue has become a cornerstone for regional security discussions, drawing key defense and diplomatic figures from across the globe to tackle shared security challenges in one of the world's most geopolitically complex regions.

Under the theme "Confronting Geopolitical Challenges: Building Peace through Cooperation," participants addressed security on the Korean Peninsula and in the broader Indo-Pacific, nuclear nonproliferation, the defense industry and artificial intelligence, among other pressing topics.

The SDD serves as a platform for multilateral security cooperation, with particular emphasis on the evolving security environment in the Indo-Pacific. This year, discussions were especially timely given the global shifts in power and influence, and the threats that continue to emerge in both conventional and nontraditional spaces.

This year's dialogue comes amid several ongoing conflicts, such as Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, increasing tensions in the South China Sea and unpredictable security challenges including cyberattacks, hybrid warfare and global power competition in outer space.

"In this context, cooperation and solidarity among the global community are more important than ever," an SDD official said, according to Korea News Plus.

Prevention, deterrence, resilience

In a keynote speech, Italian Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of NATO's Military Committee, emphasized NATO's commitment to its global partners and to preserving their common values.

"To our citizens, we must convey a clear and transparent message: prevention is cheaper than war; deterrence is stronger when shared; resilience is not limited to the military realm, but it relates strongly to energy independence, robust infrastructure, public-private collaboration and a whole-of-society approach," Dragone said.

"There is no doubt at all: deterrence is our HOW and peace is our WHY."

Dragone discussed regional security with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Kim Myung-soo and other defense industry leaders, highlighting "the fruitful, growing cooperation between the Republic of Korea and NATO," a statement said.

The meetings "emphasized the importance NATO is placing on boosting defense investment and collaboration," it said.

"There shall be no doubt: what happens in the Indo-Pacific echoes in the Euro-Atlantic, and vice versa," Dragone said.

'Under One Flag'

The dialogue coincided with a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the formation of United Nations Command (UNC) to defend South Korea.

"This is more than a commemoration of history; it is a moment to reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, to security and to cooperation in one of the world's most consequential regions," UNC Commander and US Army Gen. Xavier Brunson said in remarks.

"To all those who believe in peace: the United Nations Command stands ready 'Under One Flag' today, tomorrow and for our future."

During the SDD, Brunson conferred with senior defense leaders from Australia, Canada and Japan on strengthening cooperation and advancing a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said September 9.

Brunson thanked the allies for their partnership and continued contributions to UNC operations as they adapt to evolving security challenges in the region.

On the sidelines, South Korea and Japan took a step toward strengthening their defense ties, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Ahn the defense minister and his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, in Seoul for the first such visit in a decade, "agreed on the need to advance bilateral defense ties in a forward-looking manner and especially seek the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation in areas of cutting-edge technology, such as AI, unmanned assets and space," according to a joint statement.

The ministers reaffirmed their "firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," pledged cooperation with the United States and agreed to expand exchanges between defense authorities as both nations mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.