Military.com reports that “Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with his South Korean counterpart Thursday to discuss ‘extended deterrence’ against North Korea that could include the permanent stationing of B-52 Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers and F-22 Raptor fighters on the peninsula.”

“The two leaders also renewed their commitment to placing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in South Korea but gave no timeline for when it would be activated.”

“On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the THAAD system should be operational in South Korea ‘as soon as possible.'”