The association said the event was organized to strengthen bilateral cooperation on policy, technology and industry in defense batteries as the United States tightens its supply chain security posture and South Korea emerges as a key partner in the sector.
Participants will include officials from the U.S. Department of Defense, the BEACONS Center at the University of Texas at Dallas, and RIB Manufacturing, along with specialized defense-battery companies from both countries. The association described it as the first seminar focused on U.S.-Korea cooperation in defense batteries.
Eric Shields, a senior adviser at the Pentagon’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, is set to present U.S. defense-battery supply chain policy and industrial strategy based on the “U.S. Department of Defense Lithium Battery Strategy 2023–2030.” The presentation will cover the Pentagon’s military supply chain decoupling strategy, the growing importance of military batteries as future weapons systems proliferate, and policies to foster the battery industry through defense procurement.
Cho Kyung-jae, a professor who leads the BEACONS Center at UT Dallas, will introduce the center, which was established with Pentagon support, and outline directions for cooperation with South Korean defense companies.
RIB Manufacturing co-founder John Stivale and Lisa King, director for advanced battery strategy, will present on research and development cooperation based on the Dallas industrial cluster and on battery technology and standardization trends for Pentagon unmanned systems (UAV·UAS·UUV).
On the South Korean side, defense-battery companies Vitzrocell, JR Energy Solution, U-BAT, LiBEST and BEI will introduce their businesses and brief current U.S.-Korea cooperation and areas where they hope to expand ties, the association said.
“Batteries are growing into a core strategic asset for economic security,” Park Tae-sung, the association’s executive vice chairman, said. “Korean battery companies, with world-class manufacturing capabilities, will be the United States’ most reliable partner for supply chain security,” he said, adding that he hopes the seminar will expand battery technology and security cooperation within the U.S.-Korea alliance.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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