South Korea’s nuclear-powered subs to help counter China: US naval chief

The chief of US naval operations said Washington views the deployment of a future South Korean nuclear-powered attack submarine as a “natural expectation” in joint efforts to deter China, underscoring that such a capability would inevitably deepen the allies’ strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle on Friday stressed that once South Korea fields a nuclear-powered attack submarine, the US would expect it to play a role in its broader plan to counter China, which Washington identifies as its primary long-term security challenge.

“Utilisation of that submarine to counter China, I think, is a natural expectation,” he said during an interview with a group of reporters in Seoul. “With that type of capability, the United States would expect that partnership — working as an alliance — to meet our combined goals on what the United States considers to be our pacing threat, which is China. I think to a large extent, Korea shares concerns with China as well.”

His remarks come after Seoul and Washington issued a bilateral fact sheet outlining agreements reached during the Oct. 29 summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, including Washington’s endorsement of Seoul’s push for nuclear-powered submarines. Caudle said the alliance is poised to deepen even further over the long period it will take for South Korea to develop and field such a capability.

“Regardless of Korea getting a nuclear-powered submarine, we already have a powerful alliance,” he said. “So in the time it takes to develop something like that, I can only imagine that our relationship is only going to grow and get closer — not because of the submarine, but because our relationship is strong and continues to build each year.”

Caudle said he learned of the final US approval only when the news was made public, though he had long known the discussions were underway. He described the decision as “a historic moment” for both countries.

“The United States has committed to moving forward with helping Korea build nuclear-powered fast attack submarines,” he said. “The difference between a country with a nuclear-powered submarine and a conventional one is significant. Nuclear-powered submarines are much more capable. Their ability to persist and sustain covert operations for long periods underwater is their strategic value.”

Calling the project “a big undertaking for any country,” Caudle acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead for Seoul but said Washington is committed to helping its ally develop the capability.

“I’m glad the United States is willing to partner with Korea to go down that path,” he said.

Once South Korea acquires a nuclear-powered attack submarine, Caudle said, its strategic posture will inevitably evolve.

“A nuclear-powered submarine is truly worldwide deployable,” he said. “As they say in the movie 'Spider-Man,' with great power comes great responsibility. I think there will be a responsibility for Korea to deploy those submarines globally, to move away from just being a regional navy to a global navy.”

He emphasised that this transition will take time and that trilateral and minilateral naval cooperation in the region must continue to expand in the meantime.

“In the interim, what I’d like to see is continued cooperation between the United States, Japan, Korea and Australia, and other like-minded navies in the Western Pacific,” he said. “We must make sure we are utilising the capabilities we have today to their fullest extent.”

On the US side, Caudle acknowledged Washington faces “a significant shipbuilding capacity challenge” — an issue Trump has framed as a central priority of his administration.

“Korea will play prominently in that role,” Caudle said, citing South Korean investment in US shipyards and the possibility of supporting US ship construction through Korean yards.

“As far as combat ships built in Korea, there are challenges with the Jones Act, and of course, Congress will be interested in that,” he said. “But I am committed to looking into that. To meet the challenge of US shipbuilding, we have to look at creative and innovative ways.”

The Jones Act prohibits the use of ships built overseas in US domestic shipping, effectively excluding Korean shipyards from this market for both economic and national security reasons. This long-standing restriction has meant that even technologically advanced Korean-built vessels cannot operate on US coastal routes unless they are entirely constructed within the United States.

He added that the assumptions underlying the Jones Act “need to be revisited” and that expanding US shipbuilding through trusted foreign partners “has to be taken very seriously.”

Regarding North Korea’s recent tests and submarine-launched ballistic missile development, Caudle noted that Pyongyang does not pose a naval threat to the US, though its capabilities are a “regional threat” to South Korea.

“North Korea can do things regionally, and South Korea needs to pay close attention to that,” he said. “We’ll be right there with them, sharing intelligence, increasing maritime domain awareness.”

Caudle said SLBM development remains a concern, though not yet a credible threat. He pointed to recent US naval demonstrations, including ballistic missile submarine port calls, as clear signals of Washington’s extended deterrence commitment.

“We try to demonstrate that through our strategic deterrent, and you’ll continue to see those examples,” he said.

Experts say the agreements outlined in the bilateral fact sheet — including US support for South Korea’s pursuit of uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing capabilities — will face lengthy review and years of working-group negotiations. Whether future US administrations and Congress will uphold all aspects of the current commitments remains uncertain.

Caudle acknowledged that building nuclear-powered submarines “will not be quick.”

“This will take a long time to do,” he said. “But the cooperation between our countries is strong and will only get stronger as we work through this together.”

The US Navy’s top officer also used his trip to South Korea to visit the country’s major shipyards — a move signalling growing industrial cooperation under South Korea's Make American Shipbuilding Great Again, or MASGA, initiative.

According to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Caudle toured its shipyard in Ulsan on Saturday, where he was briefed by HD Hyundai Chair Chung Ki-sun on the company’s advanced shipbuilding technologies and production capacity. The two discussed ways to deepen collaboration to support MASGA, which seeks to revitalise US shipbuilding through partnerships with Korean yards.

“We will do our part to bolster US shipbuilding capabilities and strengthen the US Navy’s readiness, while ensuring the success of MASGA,” Chung said in a company statement. HD Hyundai added that Caudle’s visit is expected to speed up discussions on technological cooperation in naval shipbuilding and tighter integration of supply chains with US partners.

Later that day, Caudle visited Hanwha Ocean’s facility in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, for similar talks. Hanwha officials outlined plans to expand their work with the US Navy — from maintenance, repair and overhaul of logistics support vessels to MRO for combat ships, and ultimately to participating in new-build naval programs.

“Hanwha Ocean will remain the US Navy’s most trusted partner and a strong contributor to the Korea-US alliance,” CEO Kim Hee-cheol said. “We are fully ready to support MASGA and contribute to its successful execution.”

Jung Min-kyung

The Korea Herald

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