The top military commanders of the United States, South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and pledged to deepen defense cooperation during an annual meeting at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung and Japanese Chief of Staff Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura attended the 23rd Trilateral Chiefs of Defense Meeting, an annual conference where the three militaries coordinate policy on North Korea and regional security challenges.

In a joint statement, the chiefs concurred that trilateral security cooperation is