The nominee for U.S. secretary of defense on Tuesday said he will seek to quickly conclude defense cost-sharing negotiations with South Korea if confirmed. 

Lloyd Austin stressed the U.S.' cooperation with allies in a written response prepared for his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

In the statement, the nominee said the U.S.-South Korea alliance is the linchpin of peace and security in the region and it is among the most combined, interoperable, capable and dynamic bilateral alliances in the world. Additionally, it is a robust deterrent to aggression on the Korean Peninsula.

The retired army general also said that if confirmed, he will focus on modernizing the U.S.' alliances throughout the Indo-Pacific and will seek the "early conclusion of cost-sharing negotiations with South Korea" as part of those efforts.
 
Austin would be the first African American to run the U.S. defense department if confirmed to the post.