High-level U.S. and South Korean defense officials held biannual talks in Washington on evolving security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region last week, amid questions about whether the Trump administration will push to expand the scope of the alliance beyond North Korean threats.

The Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) between the deputy defense ministers of both countries and senior defense and foreign ministry officials took place from May 1-2, addressing alliance priorities ranging from extended deterrence to force posture, according to the U.S. State Department and ROK defense ministry on Monday.

“During the meeting, both sides assessed the overall defense cooperation