The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea as part of its defense pledges on the Korean Peninsula.

The affirmation came during the 46th Military Committee Meeting(MCM) in Seoul on Wednesday between the chairmen of the allies' respective joint chiefs of staff(JCS). It was the first time that the annual meeting was held in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. JCS Chairman Gen. Mark Milley emphasized Washington's continued commitment to providing extended deterrence, which involves mobilizing both nuclear and conventional military capabilities against potential North Korean aggression.

Milley and his South Korean counterpart Gen. Won In-choul received briefings on the peninsula's security situation, including North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM) launch in October.

The military chiefs also acknowledged progress in the allies' ongoing discussions on the conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control(OPCON).

The annual military chiefs' meeting will be followed by the Security Consultative Meeting(SCM) of the allies' defense ministers in Seoul on Thursday.