The Wall Street Journal previews the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security ahead of its annual global missile defense conference, as well as the expected remarks of the keynote speaker and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. James Winnefeld:

In a speech on missile defense to be delivered on Wednesday at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, Adm. James Winnefeld, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will emphasize that, despite tensions between Japan and Korea, improving cooperation is critical to improving defenses against North Korea.

“Going forward, we will continue to emphasize the importance of developing regional ballistic missile defense systems,” Adm. Winnefeld will say, according to advance excerpts of his remarks. “This is a very politically sensitive topic for several of our regional allies, but progress in this area would only increase our confidence in the face of persistent North Korean provocations.”

Read the full article here.