Deputy Pentagon chief nominee calls for efforts to stem growth of North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenals
Published: 26 Feb. 2025, 10:04
Updated: 26 Feb. 2025, 10:23
![Stephen Feinberg, President Donald Trump's choice to be deputy secretary of defense, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 25. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/26/3e29afaa-5d3d-4a68-96cc-5c6073062e95.jpg)
Stephen Feinberg, President Donald Trump's choice to be deputy secretary of defense, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 25. [AP/YONHAP]
Stephen Feinberg made the remarks during a confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee, saying Pyongyang remains "intensely" focused on expanding its "illicit" nuclear weapons program and improving its ballistic and cruise missile programs, while expanding its "malign" cyber activities.
"We must also seek to stem the growth of DPRK nuclear and missile arsenals," he said, noting the need to improve missile defense systems to counter North Korean threats. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
He appeared to be asserting the need to make efforts to stop Pyongyang from further developing its menacing weapons programs, as the regime has been doubling down on those programs amid a deepening military alignment with Moscow.
Feinberg shared Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's assessment that North Korea, China and Russia have "significantly" expanded and modernized their nuclear force capabilities.
"These improvements, which include advances in warheads, delivery systems, and command and control systems, pose an increasing threat to the United States and its allies," he said.
He also mentioned that the North's recent deployment of combat forces to Russia is "of concern," while pointing out that North Korea's longstanding chemical and biological weapons capabilities remain a threat.
The nominee took note of North Korean threats from the increasingly contested space domain.
"In addition to the PRC and Russia, both North Korea and Iran are expanding their space programs and advancing their ballistic missile capabilities," he said, pledging to play a role in countering hostile uses of space. PRC is short for China's official name, the People's Republic of China.
Touching on Chinese threats, Feinberg said that Beijing has developed capabilities for the specific purpose of being able to exercise military power in the Indo-Pacific region and deny the U.S. ability to project power into the region.
"If confirmed, I will work with urgency to strengthen our force posture in the Indo-Pacific region to deter PRC aggression," he said.
He singled out a sudden Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan by force as the "most threatening" scenario facing the Pentagon.
"A successful invasion of Taiwan could severely damage U.S. trade, alliances, and global influence," he warned.
"Xi Jinping's stated goal of annexing Taiwan, his directive to the Chinese military to be ready for such an operation by 2027, and China's significant and ongoing buildup of capabilities designed to hold the Joint Force at risk suggest that China poses a significant and growing threat across the near, medium, and long term," he added.
Feinberg is a co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, a U.S. global investment fund. He previously chaired the Intelligence Oversight Board and the President's Intelligence Advisory Board during Trump's first term.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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