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Ulchi Freedom Guardian means lots of computers
As a computer-based war-game, the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise that begins this week in South Korea requires lots and lots of computers. In pictures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Defense, some of those computers and the complexity of the set-up can be seen. The images and a video show the inside of the…
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First photos from Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2014
The U.S. Department of Defense has released the first photos from the 10-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2014 joint military exercise that has just begun in South Korea. The computer-based exercise simulates South Korean defense of a North Korean attack and, not surprisingly, have North Korea angry. The daily Rodong Sinmun wrote, “It is foolish and ridiculous…
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World risks becoming “numb” to North Korean missile tests, says US admiral
The top U.S. commander in the Pacific region says he’s worried that North Korea’s continued missile tests are helping establish them as something that’s normal. Speaking during a news conference at The Pentagon on Tuesday, Admiral Sam Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said he was concerned that the international community was becoming “numb” to them.
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North Koreans learn about China’s Beidou satellite navigation system
Engineers from North Korea and seven other nations are being given training in technology related to China’s Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system this week, according to Chinese media reports. The engineers are attending a course in Hubei province being put on by the National Remote Sensing Center. The organization is part of China’s Ministry of Science and…
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US missile shield to cost $5.8 billion over next five years
The planned expansion of the U.S. missile defense shield to guard against potential threats from North Korea and other nations will cost $5.8 billion over the coming years, according to an estimate released this week. The estimate was made by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in response to a question from Jeff Sessions, a Republican senator for…
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What’s going on with North Korean airspace?
The shooting down of MH17 over Ukraine has raised awareness of a series of restrictions the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has placed on aircraft operating around the world, including over North Korea. North Korean airspace extends well beyond the land borders of the country to include a large portion of the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and,…
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US, others complain to ICAO over North Korean missile launches
The United States and several other nations have written to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over North Korea’s failure to notify it of missile launches. Over the past couple of weeks, short and medium-range missile have been fired by North Korea into the sea to the east of the country on a handful of occasions. Each launch took place without a standard…
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Impact studies to begin on additional US interceptor sites
A U.S. interceptor missile system designed to deter and defend against missiles from North Korea and other nations will take a step forward this week when the U.S. Missile Defense Agency kicks off work on environmental impact statements on four proposed sites. On Wednesday, the MDA is expected to publish a notice informing residents in nearby neighborhoods of…
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North Korea “is still a threat to all of us,” says Hagel
Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sure are getting along well. The two met with reporters at The Pentagon on Friday afternoon as part of Onodera’s current visit to the U.S. and spent the first five minutes of their 25-minute briefing talking about Onodera’s trip to Hagel’s home state of Nebraska and…
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Kerry pushes China on DPRK sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry took the opportunity of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to push the Chinese government to do a little more to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Speaking at a joint news conference after the meeting, Kerry said they discussed “the importance of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions that…
