A key U.S. senator and a top-level adviser to the Seoul government warned not to set high expectations on Pyongyang scuttling its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs as an immediate result of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un. Read More
China looks at Taiwan like Russia looked at Crimea, a key territory to control in asserting its power in the Asia-Pacific, three experts on maritime security said Friday. Read More
An MH-60S Knighthawk attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) on March 20, 2018. US Navy Photo
Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) is expected to participate in the annual Foal Eagle joint exercise with the Republic of Korea early next month.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an undated photo.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- S.C.) said “it’s just a matter of time” before North Korea crosses a red line — like testing another warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile — that the Trump administration sees compelling it to take military action on the peninsula. Read More
MT Sanchi burning off the coast of China after a Jan. 6 collision. South Korean Coast Guard Photo
After burning for more than a week in the South China Sea, an Iranian tanker bound for South Korea sank over the weekend, leaving a large oil spill fouling the water, as the next shipment between the countries prepared to set sail.
North Korean KN-14 Launch on July 4, 2017. KCNA Photo
The American public’s willingness to see Tokyo become a nuclear power and its support for positioning U.S. nuclear weapons in Japan and South Korea as ways to contain and deter North Korea was “shocking news” to one of Japan’s leading pollsters. Read More
MT Sanchi burning off the coast of China after a Jan. 6 collision. South Korean Coast Guard Photo
The U.S. Navy sent a P-8A aircraft to assist the international search and rescue effort in the East China Sea following a Saturday collision between two commercial vessels. Read More
The guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92), left, Republic of Korea destroyer ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong (DDG-993), guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73), Republic of Korea destroyer ROKS Yulgok Yi (DDG-992) and Republic of Korea patrol craft ROKS Kwang Myung (PCC-782) steam in formation during a bilateral maneuvering exercise near the Korean Peninsula on May 21, 2016. US Navy Photo
The U.S. and Republic of Korea announced a pair of annual large-scale military exercises will be delayed until after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, just as the North and South are preparing for their first significant talks in years.
A recent attempt by Korea Kumbyol Trading Company’s vessel RYE SONG GANG 1 to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer, possibly of oil, in an effort to evade sanctions on Oct. 19, 2017. Dept. of Treasury Photo
With tougher United Nations sanctions now restricting the flow of oil to North Korea, the regime is taking more extreme measures to evade international scrutiny, making monitoring regional maritime traffic an even more pressing mission for U.S. intelligence and naval forces, an expert on illicit trade told USNI News on Tuesday.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson holds an all hands call onboard the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). US Navy photo.
The Navy’s top admiral told sailors in the Pacific area of operations to expect more combined exercises in 2018.
