News Report: North Korea Test-fires Another Missile Over Japan

Brian Padden

SEOUL — North Korea launched another missile over Japan early Friday, just days after the United Nations imposed additional sanctions on Pyongyang for conducting its sixth nuclear test.

The missile was launched from the Sunan district in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, and flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, said.

"We absolutely cannot accept these repeated provocations by North Korea and we strongly protest to North Korea and convey to them the nation's strong anger in the strongest words possible,” Suga said.

Warning announcements about the missile blared around 7 a.m. local time in the northern Japanese town of Kamaishi, according to footage from national broadcaster NHK.

South Korea's military reported the missile reached an altitude of about 770 kilometers and flew 3,700 kilometers, far enough to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

USA: Pentagon Spokesman Comments on North Korean Missile Launch

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2017 — The Defense Department detected and tracked a single North Korea missile launch today at about 10:41 a.m. EDT, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said today in a statement.

The department believes the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, as had been expected, Davis said.

Davis said the missile was launched from Mupyong-ni, and traveled about 620 miles before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. The Defense Department, he added, is working with its interagency partners on a more detailed assessment.

News Reports: North Korean Ballistic missile launch

The following stories from Sputnik are about North Korea's Ballistic missile launch on the night of the 28-Jul-2017.

• North Korea Reportedly Launches Missile - Japanese Media
• Pentagon Believes Newly-Launched North Korea Missile Was ICBM, Traveled 1,000 KM
• Russian MoD Says N Korean Missile Traveled 732 Km, Fell in Sea of Japan

PacificSentinel: It seems the Russians are trying to downplay the North Korean Ballistic Missile launches, this is the second time they have dismissed the ICBM claims of the North Koreans and conformation of the USA.

News Story: North Korea may have just shown a capability to strike the continental US

A presumed North Korean ICBM Launcher

By: Tara Copp , Aaron Mehta , Andrew Tilghman

The specter of war loomed over the Korean Peninsula Friday as the U.S. Army and its South Korean allies fired a barrage of large missiles into the waters off the South Korean coastline, an “exercise” intended to be a warning and a direct response to North Korea’s test of an effective intercontinental ballistic missile earlier Friday morning.

The Army fired 13-foot-long missiles from the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, a long-range surface-to-surface precision-strike weapon, into South Korea’s territorial waters. according to a statement from the Korea-based U.S. 8th Army

The test came just hours after North Korea’s test of an ICBM which analysts said for the first time displayed the capability to exceed 10,000 km in range, a distance capable of potentially threatening New York or San Diego.

Following the launch Friday morning, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joe Dunford, and Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris called the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen. Lee Sun-jin, according to the Pentagon.

An earlier live-fire exercise with RoK Hyunmoo-II (left) and
US ATACMS (right, background) missile launchers

“During the call Dunford and Harris expressed the ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance,” a Pentagon release stated. ”The three leaders also discussed military response options.” Harris joined Dunford in his Pentagon office to make the phone call.

The ATACMS missile launch was a “combined training event to exercise assets countering North Korea’s missile launch/nuclear test,” the Army statement said. 

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis issued an statement on the launch from the Defense Department. 

“The U.S. Department of Defense detected and tracked a single North Korea missile launch today at about 10:41 a.m. [Eastern Daylight Time],” said Davis, reading the official statement. “We assess that this missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, as had been expected.”

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (11-Jul-2017)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea state

The US Coast Guard is still looking for a vendor to equip its Legend-class national security cutter with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Lacking the expertise to operate UAVs itself, the Coast Guard wants the full package, ‘including the people, the antennas, [and] the software’. But to reduce costs, it’ll just be getting the basic capabilities for now—like electro-optical and infrared camera systems—with the more whizz-bang intelligence tools to come later, in pace with emerging technology. Eventually, the aim is to have a completely autonomous drone fleet. (But, according to The Drive, the Coast Guard might already have something pretty cool!)

A new report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau revealed the extent of international piracy in the first half of 2017. Overall, there were 87 attacks—10 fewer than in 2016. That included 63 hostage-takings, 41 kidnappings and two deaths. The report warns that Somali pirates still have the capacity to attack far offshore, and remain a threat to merchant ships. Southeast Asia was also identified as still being a high-risk area. The Diplomat provides a compelling argument for Australia’s interests in this area by looking at the threat to trade and economic prosperity should piracy spread to the Melanesian ‘arc of instability’.

News Report: North Korea Test-fires Ballistic Missile

The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the latest North Korean missile test, which failed shortly after launch and broke up over an inland region of the country.

A brief statement issued by the office of the press secretary said only that the Trump administration was aware of the test.

But Trump soon tweeted his reaction: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China and its highly respected president when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"

News Report: North Korean Missile Test May Be Aimed at THAAD

Mock-Up of a KN-15 Ballistic Missile on a TEL

Brian Padden

SEOUL — The latest North Korean missile test Wednesday, launched near the country's submarine base in Sinpo, could indicate the military is developing counter measures to defend against the threat of a U.S. preemptive strike and to nullify the advantage of the THAAD missile defense system being deployed in the South.

Both U.S. and South Korean militaries detected an early morning launch of a single ballistic missile at a land-based facility near Sinpo in South Hamgyong Province on the east coast of the country.

Initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

The South Korean military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters and that the projectile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles).

News Report: A collection of DPRK Ballistic Missile Launch stories by Sputnik

With the launch of Ballistic Missiles by North Korea on the 6-Mar-2017, the Russian online news agency Sputnik has released several stories on the subject, read those below.

• North Korea Fires 'Unidentified Projectile' Into East Sea - Reports
• Seoul 'Strongly Condemns' Pyongyang's Rocket Launches
• Tokyo Plans to Discuss N Korea's Missile Launches With Moscow - Japan FM
• N Korea Missile Launches Highlight Security Threats - EU Foreign Policy Chief
• China Opposes North Korea Missile Launches - Foreign Ministry
• North Korea Launches Missiles to 'Divert Attention From Kim Jong Nam's Murder'
• Japan Self-Defense Forces Find Assumed Fragment of N Korean Missile
• Kremlin Voices Concern, Urges Restraint Over North Korea's Missile Launches
• N Korea Carries Out Multiple Ballistic Missiles Launches - Pentagon
• N. Korea Says Recent Missile Drills Aimed at Striking US Military Base in Japan
• UN Secretary-General: North Korea Missile Launches Undermine Regional Stability
• Trump, Abe Hold Phone Conversation Over North Korea Missile Launch
• Japan, US Leaders Agree to Hold 2+2 Format Talks Amid N. Korean Missile Launches

• Pentagon: Pyongyang's Tests Confirm Prudence of THAAD Deployment to S. Korea
• US Deploys THAAD Sysytem in South Korea

News Report: Russia Flies Bombers Around Japan

PENTAGON — Two Russian bombers circumnavigated Japan Tuesday, a defense official told VOA.

The official from U.S. Pacific Command, which overseas U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific region, said Pacific Command did not take any action during the activity because the Russian bombers’ flight paths did not cause concern.

Another U.S. official told VOA the Russian aircraft had stayed in international airspace throughout the flights around the island nation.

Earlier in the day, Fox News reported that the move had prompted Japan’s military to scramble fighter jets while the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, increased its threat posture.

NORAD spokeswoman Ashleigh Peck told VOA that it is not unusual for various areas covered by NORAD to shift threat response postures “for exercises or real world events.” However, she would not confirm or deny any recent posture changes because of “operational security reasons.”

This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: Canada Will Need Additional Fighter Jets to Meet New Defense Posture

CF-18 Hornet (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: David Pugliese

VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canada has revamped its policy on how to meet its air-defense commitments to protecting North America and contributing to NATO, prompting a decision to boost the number of fighter jets it will buy in the future. 

Canada is currently buying 18 Super Hornets from Boeing as a stop-gap measure, before eventually holding a competition to acquire a fleet of aircraft to form its future fighter fleet. 

The number of new fighters outlined by the Royal Canadian Air Force for the previous Conservative Party government for that future fleet was 65. 

But the current Liberal Party government has determined that is not enough, and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says that figure will have to be increased. 

The Liberal Party government changed defense policy earlier this year to require the Royal Canadian Air Force to meet its commitments to NATO and NORAD simultaneously. 

Sajjan didn’t outline how many new aircraft the government will purchase. But he noted that the new number would be outlined in the Liberal Party government’s defense policy to be released early next year. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Critics Question Canada's New Super Hornet Plans

An Australian F/A-18F Super Hornet (File Photo)

By: David Pugliese

VICTORIA, British Columbia – The Canadian government’s proposal to buy 18 Super Hornet aircraft as a stopgap measure before proceeding to a full competition for a new fighter jet is not only a waste of time and money but illegal, say political and industry critics of the plan. 

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Nov. 22 that Canada would enter into negotiations with Boeing for the purchase of the 18 aircraft. Sajjan noted the government had been forced to proceed with the urgent acquisition because a capability gap had emerged with the current fleet of CF-18 fighters. Canada cannot meet its NORAD, NATO and other defense commitments with those aging aircraft, he added. 

But Canada’s former procurement chief says the Super Hornet deal is illegal and can be challenged if Lockheed Martin or other aircraft firms wanted to do so. Existing trade agreements allow for Canada to proceed with a purchase without competition if there is an urgent and unforeseeable need for goods and services required by the military, said Alan Williams, the former assistant deputy minister for materiel at Canada’s Department of National Defence. 

“A capability gap that was allowed to grow over many years is hardly unforeseeable," said Williams. “Bad planning is not an excuse for sole-sourcing.” 

Williams noted the Liberal Party government has been in power for a year and already had enough information to launch a full competition for a permanent fighter replacement. 

Lockheed Martin officials have expressed their disappointment in the government’s decision to buy Super Hornets but the firm has not indicated its next course of action.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: STRATCOM Detects Failed North Korean Missile Launch Wednesday Night

STRATCOM reports another North Korean failed missile launch.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States has detected an unsuccessful missile launch by North Korea on Wednesday evening, the US Strategic Command announced in a press release. 

"US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) systems detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch at 5:00 p.m. CDT, October 19, 2016, near the northwestern city of Kusong," the release stated on Wednesday. "The missile is presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile." 

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) concluded that the launch did not pose a threat to North America, the release added.

On October 14, the US Strategic Command made an announcement about another failed test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile conducted by North Korea.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula intensified in September after North Korea claimed to have successfully exploded a nuclear warhead, having previously detonated a hydrogen bomb in January. 

The September 9 test is believed to be the fifth and largest blast since Pyongyang began pursuing nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The UN Security Council condemned the test as a repeated violation of the world body’s resolutions.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

USA: Stratcom Detects, Tracks North Korean Missile Launch

Image: Wiki Commons

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 09, 2016 — U.S. Strategic Command systems detected and tracked what officials said was a North Korean submarine missile launch yesterday at 10:28 p.m. EDT, according to a news release issued by Stratcom today.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch -- presumed to be a KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile -- did not pose a threat to North America, the release said.

The launch occurred off the coast of Sinpo, North Korea, and systems indicated that it fell over the Sea of Japan.

"The men and women of [Stratcom], NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Pacific Command remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the release said.

Stratcom's mission is to conduct global operations in synchronization with other combatant commands and appropriate U.S. government agencies to detect, deter and prevent strategic attacks against the U.S., its allies, and partners, and to be prepared to deliver warfighting capability to defend the nation.

US DoD

News Story: Japan Plans to Improve Defense Against N Korean Missiles Within 5 Years

PAC-3 Patriot & Radar at JASDF Iruma Airbase
(Image: Wiki Commons)

Japan plans to improve its defense against North Korean nuclear and missile threat within five years through modernization of Patriot PAC-3 surface-to-air missile system, local media reported Wednesday. Modernization will begin next year and will include missiles of increased range and the ability to hit several targets simultaneously, the source in the military told NHK TV channel.

Japan defends from North Korean missiles using the US-supplied PAC-3 systems, warships equipped with Aegis interception system and SM3 missiles.

By the spring of 2017, Japan together with the United States plans to finalize the SM3 Block 2A missile, which development has been launched in 2006. Combat deployment of these missiles was initially scheduled for 2018.

Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7. The moves violated UN Security Council resolutions, and prompted the United Nations as well as the United States to impose sanctions.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Canadian Fighter-Jet Debate Turns Testy

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet

David Pugliese

VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has slammed the F-35, labeling the aircraft as a fighter that “does not work,” as his government considers the purchase of Boeing Super Hornets instead.

The Liberal Party government’s consideration of a purchase of an undisclosed number of Super Hornets as an “interim” aircraft to deal with a fighter capability gap touched off a storm of controversy in the House of Commons.

Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose accused Trudeau of selecting a fighter jet without the proper knowledge of what the Royal Canadian Air Force needs.

But Trudeau said the previous Conservative government botched the procurement of a new jet. “They left us a mess we are going to fix,” he said June 7 in the House of Commons.

“Canadians know full well that for 10 years, the Conservatives completely missed the boat when it came to delivering to Canadians and their armed forces the equipment they needed,” Trudeau added. “They clung to an aircraft (the F-35) that does not work and is far from working.”

The Conservative government had committed to purchasing 65 F-35s. The plan was put on hold, however, as technical issues with the aircraft continued to make headlines. The Conservatives and the Canadian military were also accused by critics of trying to hide the full cost of the F-35 procurement.

During last year’s election campaign Trudeau said if his government was elected it would not buy the F-35. He said the aircraft didn’t fit Canada’s needs and was too expensive.

Earlier in the week, industry and defense sources said the Liberals were examining the purchase of the Super Hornets.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: North Korea Fires a Dud on Founder's Birthday

North Korea appears to have failed in an attempt to launch a missile to mark the birthday of its founding president.

A statement released by South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said the North "appears to have attempted a missile test near its east coast early Friday morning, but it appears to have failed."

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on background, said that U.S. Strategic Command systems detected what analysts assessed was a failed North Korean missile launch early Friday morning. 

Editorial: Could Japan and South Korea Be Hit by 1,000 Missiles?

By Franz-Stefan Gady

A new report provides scenarios of North Korea’s future delivery systems capabilities.

Yesterday, the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. published a compelling report entitled “The Future of North Korean Nuclear Delivery Systems,” (PDF) arguing that North Korea’s missiles have sufficient reliability and range to hit principle targets in Japan and South Korea. The authors of the report, however, are less certain that Pyongyang’s ICBM’s will be capable of hitting the continental United States, given various technical hurdles that would need to be overcome first.

“North Korea’s current delivery systems consist of about 1,000 ballistic missiles and a small number of light bombers able to reach most targets in South Korea and Japan,” the authors write. This includes a large stockpile of Scud ballistic missiles, the Nodong medium-range ballistic missile, the KN-02 Toksa short-range ballistic missile (based on the old Soviet SS-21 model) and approximately 60 Il-28 light bombers. The range of the various missiles are estimated at 300-1,500 km. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: Internet of Things - The Missing Link in an Off-Set Strategy

By Col. Robert S. Spalding III & Dr. Adam Lowther

Creating a military “Internet of things” will empower the U.S. to succeed in “informationized” warfare in Asia.

As the Arab Spring, ISIS, and Anonymous all illustrate, the emergence of the Internet has ushered in a new world of communication and collaboration that is challenging the power of the nation-state to control its own citizens and those from outside its borders seeking to influence what occurs inside. Thanks to the Internet, people can share beliefs and ideals, and organize via social networks for good (in the case of crowdsourcing relief in disaster zones) or evil (in the case of ISIS). For the United States and its military, turning these developments to their advantage is critical if American power is to remain preeminent in the Asia-Pacific in coming years.

Governments are working to stay abreast of technological developments but are all too often far behind the private sector. One nascent governmental effort comes from the U.S. Air Force, which is using crowdsourcing via Collaboratory, a tool that allows the public to work with Airmen on real Air Force projects. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses crowdsourcing to improve efficiency in handling disasters. In fact, it has an app that allows people to take photos of disasters and display them on a public map for others to view. The State Department is also making an effort, sending automated safety warnings and alerts to Americans traveling abroad via social media. The Department of Defense (DoD) also employs social media and other internet and cyber-tools to accomplish its own missions, such as its All Partners Access Network.

Despite these efforts, governmental organizations rarely match the collaboration that goes into organizing a flash mob. In warfare, arguably the most organizationally daunting of human endeavors, DoD was enormously successful at delivering firepower in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, it has done so only at great expense. Insurgents and terrorists have not been successful at defeating the U.S. military on the battlefield, yet they were and remain successful in delivering their own firepower in a much more cost effective manner. In addition, they appear to be winning the war of ideas, as demonstrated by ISIS’s success in recruiting fighters from around the world, including the United States. Why then has the United States not learned from its adversaries and turned to such web and cyber-based approaches? 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

USA: U.S., Canada Sign Asia-Pacific Cooperation Framework

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Nov. 22, 2013 – The United States and Canada will increase their security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, American and Canadian defense leaders announced here today.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson signed the Canada-U.S. Asia-Pacific Cooperation Framework today as both leaders take part in the Halifax International Security Forum. The forum continues through the weekend, but Hagel will return to Washington late today.

Hagel said that signing the agreement on America’s day of remembrance for President John F. Kennedy reminded him of a speech Kennedy made to the Canadian parliament in 1961.

The secretary quoted from that speech: “The warmth of your hospitality symbolizes more than merely the courtesy which may be accorded to an individual visitor. They symbolize the enduring qualities of amity and honor which have characterized our countries’ relations for so many decades.”

USA: Missile Defenses Must Evolve With Threat, Northcom Chief Says

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 – U.S. defenses are sufficient to stand up to current ballistic missile threats, but must continue to evolve because “the threat of ballistic missiles is not going down,” the commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command told Congress today.

“We currently can defend the entire United States from an Iranian long-range missile threat,” Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. told the Senate Armed Forces Committee. “The question is, how do we stay ahead of the evolving Iranian threat, and how do we keep our options opened for the continued evolution of either Iranian or North Korean threats?”

Jacoby told the panel he supports Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s decision to deploy an additional 14 ground-based interceptors in Alaska in light of the evolving missile threat from North Korea.

The current ballistic missile defense plan is based on limited “limited defense of the United States,” he said. “And given the threat that is represented by Iran to the eastern United States today, we can cover that threat. The question is making sure that we pace that threat as it evolves.”