Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works of Kobe Harbor in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan in 2006. via Wikipedia
The recent relaxation of Tokyo’s ban on arms exports has introduced Japan as a budding player in the international arms market. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has given the go-ahead for Japanese firms to compete internationally for arms contracts. Read More
People’s Liberation Army Navy Type-92 submarine nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). PLAN Photo
While Russia continues to steadily invest in strategic capabilities, the head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) said there is some transparency in what they are spending money on because of treaty requirements. But with China the story is very different, Adm. Cecil Haney told the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. Read More
The following is the trilateral information sharing arrangement concerning the nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea between the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Defense of Japan and the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The three countries signed the agreement on Dec. 28, 2014. Read More
A Soviet Golf II class ballistic missile submarine underway in 1985. North Korea is reportedly building its own sea-based nuclear deterrent based on the Golf II design. DoD Photo
Recent reports that North Korea is developing submarines based on obsolete Golf-II class Soviet-era submarines has gained worldwide attention. However obsolete, it is reported that North Korea had invested its time in “examining and replicating” the missile-launch system of the Soviet-era subs. Read More
2012 North Korean missile test.
While the United States, Republic of Korea and Japan speak often about the nuclear missile threat posed by North Korea to all three nations, the former commander of the combined forces on the Korean peninsula said the allies may be missing a very real, but less thought about dangers. “The best way to deliver a nuclear weapon to Seoul” could be “a rickety old wooden airplane,” or a drone or a ship pulling into a nearby harbor. Read More
A CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6). US Navy Photo
The South Korean government has released USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) from the search for more than 100 passengers still missing after the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol, according to the U.S. Navy. Read More
An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 is chained to the deck after landing on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) after conducting search and rescue operations. Sailors and Marines onboard Bonhomme Richard are conducting search and rescue operations as requested by the Republic of Korea. US Navy Photo
A pair of Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters have been assigned to aid in rescue effort following the Wednesday sinking of a South Korean ferry, Navy officails told USNI News on Thursday. Read More
MV-22 on the deck of USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on April 16, 2014. US Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy is sending the amphibious warship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) to support the efforts of Republic of Korea (RoK) following the sinking of the passenger ship Sewol, U.S. Navy officials told USNI News on Wednesday. Read More
Army Gen. James D. Thurman, commander, United Nations Command, Republic of Korea – United States Combined Forces command, and United States Forces Korea onboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on May, 11 2013. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) has left Busan, Korea for joint exercises between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea, according to a Monday statement from U.S. 7th Fleet.
“The operations are taking place beyond the territorial seas of any coastal nations and are intended to reinforce regional security and stability, enhance interoperability with our allies, and increase operational proficiency and readiness,” read the statement. Read More
Undated picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his advisors.
Parsing harrowing threat from hot air is an essential task for monitoring the Korean peninsula. North Korean leaders and propaganda outlets unfailingly respond to times of crisis with apocalyptic language.
After the 2010 bombardment of the disputed Yeonpyeong island, for example, North Korea warned of a “merciless shower” and vowed renewed war would turn Seoul into a “sea of fire.”
Kim Jong-un, since succeeding his late father in December 2011, has overseen new missile tests, and in February 2013 declared his country was conducting its third nuclear test. With that latest crisis have come new rounds of grave statements. Read More
