The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD) is a unique multilateral “track II” forum involving foreign ministry officials, defense ministry officials, military officers, and academics from China, Russia, North and South Korea, Japan, and the United States. NEACD keeps vital lines of communication open in Northeast Asia by providing regularly scheduled meetings in an informal setting, allowing participants to candidly discuss issues of regional security and cooperation. NEACD requires that officials participate in their personal capacity, not as representatives for their governments, and that all discussions be kept off-the-record, rules that permit brainstorming and frank discussion of divergent views. The mixture of government officials and scholars contributes to the free-wheeling style of discussion. The first dialogue included participants from China, Russia, U.S.A., South Korea, and Japan, and covered national perspectives on security, regional maritime security issues, the present and future role of the U.S. in Northeast Asia, regional implications of leadership transitions, the domestic situation in North Korea, the denuclearization of North Korea, and long term issues with North Korea.