US commander in Asia Philip Davidson admits North Korea probably won’t give up all its nuclear weapons, as new Trump-Kim summit looms
- Admiral Philip Davidson, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, predicted North Korea would use partial denuclearisation to win US and international concessions
- Davidson was nevertheless upbeat about the February 27-28 summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un
Weeks before a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the top US military commander for Asia on Tuesday echoed an intelligence assessment that North Korea is unlikely to give up all its nuclear weapons.
Although he expressed optimism about the February 27-28 summit in verbal testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Philip Davidson, head of the Indo-Pacific Command, expressed doubts about North Korean intentions in his written submission to the panel.
“USINDOPACOM’s assessment on North Korean denuclearisation is consistent with the Intelligence Community position,” he said.
“That is, we think it is unlikely that North Korea will give up all of its nuclear weapons or production capabilities, but seeks to negotiate partial denuclearisation in exchange for US and international concessions.”
Last month, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress he believed it was unlikely North Korea would give up all its nuclear weapons and that it had continued activity inconsistent with pledges to denuclearise.