U.S., Allies Agree to Further Study Intel Swaps on North Korea Missiles

The United States and its East Asia allies on Saturday agreed to further study possible trilateral information exchanges about the North Korean missile threat.

The heads of defense for Washington, Seoul and Tokyo during a three-way discussion in Singapore "reaffirmed the importance of information sharing on North Korea nuclear and missile threats and shared an understanding that this issue needs to be reviewed further," says a joint statement released after the meeting.

No mention was made in the statement from U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin about an official agreement being reached that would enable the direct sharing between Japan and South Korea of sensor data related to North Korean missile launches. Such a pact was earlier envisioned to result from the sit-down, which happened on the margins of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Read the full article in National Journal.