Darwin, Australia, Nov 17 (EFE).– US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that while North Korean troops have not seen “much fighting” in Ukraine yet, their involvement may soon escalate, warning of potential challenges in their interoperability with Russian forces.
“Regarding the effectiveness of DPRK (North Korea) troops, we haven’t seen much fighting from them at this point, but my belief is that we will see that soon,” Austin told reporters in Darwin, Australia, where he met with his Australian and Japanese counterparts, Richard Marles and Gen Nakatani.
Austin highlighted the challenges North Korean troops might face, including communication barriers with the Russian Army and operational friction due to a lack of prior collaboration.
“I think a force like this will undergo the challenges that we would expect. There is a language issue that they have to overcome in working with their Russian counterparts. There has not been the same kind of training and development that we have seen amongst our allies,” he said.
Austin said true interoperability in military operations extended beyond having compatible hardware and required a cohesive framework of shared strategies, operational practices, and clear communication.
He noted that in the case of North Korean and Russian troops, these foundational elements were absent.
“These forces have not worked together before. Based upon the language barrier, based upon the lack of common procedures, the lack of common equipment you would expected that there would be some friction.”
A senior Ukrainian government official recently reported to Japan’s Kyodo News that around 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, engaging Ukrainian forces.
Austin reaffirmed the US commitment to providing military equipment and assistance to Ukraine and expressed hope that the incoming administration under Donald Trump will continue such support.
Austin highlighted the US government’s critical role in empowering Ukraine to resist Russian aggression, underscoring the effectiveness of Western support in preventing Russia from meeting its broader strategic objectives.
His comments come in the backdrop of the concerns about whether a new US administration might alter support for Ukraine.
By emphasizing Ukraine’s need to remain militarily capable, he reinforced the idea that any resolution to the conflict must preserve Ukraine’s independence and ability to protect itself against future threats.
Austin’s remarks come a day after outgoing President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru.
The leaders condemned military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang and reaffirmed their trilateral commitment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also voiced concerns over Russia-North Korea collaboration during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, warning of the potential for “significantly wider destabilization.”
Ukraine and its allies have claimed that North Korea has already deployed approximately 11,000 soldiers in Russia. EFE
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