NATO has launched its first defense industry dialogue with South Korea as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners.
The talks, held on Friday, brought together a delegation led by Tarja Jaakkola, NATO’s assistant secretary general for defense industry, innovation, and armaments, and representatives from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Discussions centered on supply chain security, procurement, production processes and opportunities for cooperation in space, munitions and research and development.
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“While continuing to modernize NATO’s deterrence and defense, and expanding our defense industrial capacity, we aim to enhance our partnership with the Republic of Korea, one of our valued Indo-Pacific partners,” Jaakkola said in a statement. “We seek to strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships in the areas of defense industrial cooperation and capabilities.”
The new dialogue follows a July meeting between NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Indo-Pacific leaders during the NATO summit, during which they reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation in support of Euro-Atlantic and regional security. It also follows NATO’s talks with Japan in May, where officials underscored their shared interest in advancing defense industry ties and regional stability.