Seoul and Washington have successfully conducted their first inaugural tabletop exercise centered on the integration of US nuclear weapons with South Korea's non-nuclear military capabilities, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday.

"The South Korean and US joint chiefs of staff and United States Forces Korea conducted the first combined nuclear and conventional Iron Mace-24 command and staff exercise between the militaries for three days from July 30 to August 1, 2024, at (US military base) Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek," the statement said.

Throughout the three-day exercise, participants explored ways to strengthen extended deterrence. This included a joint planning process designed to support US strategic operations by leveraging South Korea's non-nuclear capabilities. The statement also included a group of experts working on the formation of a strategic command in South Korea. 

The exercise was held to implement the previously approved guidelines of the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).

Read next: Seoul could get nuclear submarines if needed: US Indo-Pacific chief

The purpose of the exercise was to implement the previously approved guidelines of the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG). On that note, the first joint nuclear and non-nuclear command exercises, South Korea and the US agreed to continue these activities to achieve the alliance's goals. 

The table-top exercise coincided with The DPRK's intensification of its ballistic missile programs, as reported by Yonhap news agency, citing South Korean officials. In response, South Korea and the US formed the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to bolster America's extended deterrence, following the Washington Declaration made by Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden in April 2023.

Late last month, South Korea and the United States launched their latest joint military air drills that aim to "sharpen" their "combat capabilities," the US military said on July 25. The ongoing military training is fueling the DPRK's concern about an increasing threat amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 

Seoul and Washington's three-week air force drills involving US F/A-18 and F-35B combat aircraft began on Tuesday in Suwon, the southern city of the Korean capital. Pyongyang has ultimately viewed these military training simulations as mock invasion practices.