An emergency on the Korean Peninsula is among the “most stressing” of contingencies the U.S. faces and Washington should coordinate closely with China for such an event, a panel of defense experts have recommended.

The non-partisan National Defense Panel, which delivered its Department of Defense 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) to Congress at the end of last week, singles out a conflict on the Korean Peninsula or a collapse of the Pyongyang government as a prospect requiring advanced preparation by the U.S. armed forces. Much of the report rails against spending cuts to the military, which its said have impeded Washington’s ability to achieve its international objectives and maintain stability in key regions.