Seoul: The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for under secretary of defense for policy, a post that could affect the United States' policy on the South Korea-U.S. security partnership.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the upper chamber approved Elbridge Colby, a former Pentagon official, for the Pentagon's No. 3 post in a 54-45 vote. Colby served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development from 2017-2018 during the first Trump administration.
During a confirmation hearing last month, Colby expressed his support for efforts to bolster South Korea's role in the alliance with the U.S. as he addressed a question over the ongoing efforts for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul.
He also emphasized that the Seoul-Washington alliance should continue to be updated to "reflect the broader geopolitical and military circumstances" facing the two nations.