ALERT North Korea 'fires submarine-launched ballistic missile' - 23 April 2016
- Thread starter Housecarl
- Start date
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/nort...more-musudan-missiles-heres-why-that-matters/
North Korea Just Test Launched 2 More Musudan Missiles. Here's Why That Matters
Pyongyang just test launched its fifth and sixth Musudans for the 2016.
By Ankit Panda
June 22, 2016
North Korea’s approach to its Musudan (BM-25) intermediate-range ballistic missile program seems to be to keep trying until a launch succeeds. Early on Wednesday, Pyongyang fired two more Musudan missiles, bringing the total number of Musudans tested since April to six. Details on the two launches Wednesday remain scant as of this writing, but South Korean military officials have confirmed to the Associated Press that at least one of the two launches failed.
I wrote about Pyongyang’s flurry of Musudan testing not too long ago, after the fourth test on the final day of May this year. There’s something mighty odd about Pyongyang continuously depleting its limited stockpile of Musudan missiles in search of a successful capability demonstration. As other commentators and North Korea watchers have noted, ballistic missile testing is hard and, normally, states seeking to operationalize a ballistic missile capability would have their engineers go back to the drawing board after a failed test, taking their time to figure out what went wrong before a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) attempt.
Pyongyang’s flurry of testing suggests no such caution. And North Korea, while its known for its brinksmanship and bellicose rhetoric, has actually been fairly measured in its missile testing, taking months between tests to demonstrate some progressive trajectory. A counterpoint to the ongoing 2016 Musudan snafu-fest, for instance, is the parallel testing of the KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Pyongyang has tested the KN-11 on several occasions, but the tests have been separated by several months.
The Musudan has a particular capability, however, that’s increasingly important to Kim Jong-un. As an IRBM with a suspected range of around 3,500 kilometers, a fully operationalized and tested Musudan would grant North Korea the ability to reliably threaten the U.S. territory of Guam with a nuclear strike. For Kim Jong-un, realizing the nuclear leg of the two-sided byungjin line will require the successful demonstration of a credible deterrent. With the KN-08 and new KN-14 intercontinental ballistic missiles still in testing and development, the Musudan is probably Pyongyang’s best bet to stick it to Washington quickly.
The repeated testing since April suggests that the scientists and engineers working on the Musudan are under pressure. After all, the first test attempt was meant to coincide with Kim Il-sung’s 104th birthday and failed, causing an embarrassment for the Eternal Leader’s grandson. (He’d just tested a purported thermonuclear bomb for his own birthday in January and launched a satellite launch vehicle for his father’s in February.) If we get confirmation the second launched failed as well, Pyongyang may attempt to test again–perhaps as soon as August 15, to celebrate the end of the Korean Liberation Day.
The failures to date have been notable, but North Korea’s scientists acquire valuable new information with each test gone wrong, getting closer to their goal of attaining a credible capability to strike U.S. territory. The only limit on testing right now seems to be the possibility of running out of the existing stock of Musudan missiles, but Pyongyang’s still got more missiles in its inventory.
Posted for fair use.....
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/nort...more-musudan-missiles-heres-why-that-matters/
North Korea Just Test Launched 2 More Musudan Missiles. Here's Why That Matters
Pyongyang just test launched its fifth and sixth Musudans for the 2016.
By Ankit Panda
June 22, 2016
North Korea’s approach to its Musudan (BM-25) intermediate-range ballistic missile program seems to be to keep trying until a launch succeeds. Early on Wednesday, Pyongyang fired two more Musudan missiles, bringing the total number of Musudans tested since April to six. Details on the two launches Wednesday remain scant as of this writing, but South Korean military officials have confirmed to the Associated Press that at least one of the two launches failed.
I wrote about Pyongyang’s flurry of Musudan testing not too long ago, after the fourth test on the final day of May this year. There’s something mighty odd about Pyongyang continuously depleting its limited stockpile of Musudan missiles in search of a successful capability demonstration. As other commentators and North Korea watchers have noted, ballistic missile testing is hard and, normally, states seeking to operationalize a ballistic missile capability would have their engineers go back to the drawing board after a failed test, taking their time to figure out what went wrong before a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) attempt.
Pyongyang’s flurry of testing suggests no such caution. And North Korea, while its known for its brinksmanship and bellicose rhetoric, has actually been fairly measured in its missile testing, taking months between tests to demonstrate some progressive trajectory. A counterpoint to the ongoing 2016 Musudan snafu-fest, for instance, is the parallel testing of the KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Pyongyang has tested the KN-11 on several occasions, but the tests have been separated by several months.
The Musudan has a particular capability, however, that’s increasingly important to Kim Jong-un. As an IRBM with a suspected range of around 3,500 kilometers, a fully operationalized and tested Musudan would grant North Korea the ability to reliably threaten the U.S. territory of Guam with a nuclear strike. For Kim Jong-un, realizing the nuclear leg of the two-sided byungjin line will require the successful demonstration of a credible deterrent. With the KN-08 and new KN-14 intercontinental ballistic missiles still in testing and development, the Musudan is probably Pyongyang’s best bet to stick it to Washington quickly.
The repeated testing since April suggests that the scientists and engineers working on the Musudan are under pressure. After all, the first test attempt was meant to coincide with Kim Il-sung’s 104th birthday and failed, causing an embarrassment for the Eternal Leader’s grandson. (He’d just tested a purported thermonuclear bomb for his own birthday in January and launched a satellite launch vehicle for his father’s in February.) If we get confirmation the second launched failed as well, Pyongyang may attempt to test again–perhaps as soon as August 15, to celebrate the end of the Korean Liberation Day.
The failures to date have been notable, but North Korea’s scientists acquire valuable new information with each test gone wrong, getting closer to their goal of attaining a credible capability to strike U.S. territory. The only limit on testing right now seems to be the possibility of running out of the existing stock of Musudan missiles, but Pyongyang’s still got more missiles in its inventory.
AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yeah-something of a "liquid sunshine" variety.
Might be a good day to show the world whether or not they have true thermonuclear devices. Or at least boosted supers.
You gotta believe all these Musadan failures aren't all failures. They're based off proven missiles; DPRK can't be that much of a screwup when it comes to missile design and manufacture. They have been producing SCUD's for years. It's not that hard.
Might be a good day to show the world whether or not they have true thermonuclear devices. Or at least boosted supers.
You gotta believe all these Musadan failures aren't all failures. They're based off proven missiles; DPRK can't be that much of a screwup when it comes to missile design and manufacture. They have been producing SCUD's for years. It's not that hard.
If I'm Kim and I want to really stir the pot as well as play into my friends in Beijing's "good cop, bad cop" game, I'd take one of the proven NoDong missiles (that can easily reach the major metro areas of Japan, South Korea and the PRC as well) and do a high altitude test just off the eastern North Korean coast in a way and time that everyone in Japan and South Korea can see it.
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missile-idUSKCN0Z72YF
(fair use applies)
North Korea missile test reaches new heights, threat to Japan intensifies
SEOUL | By Ju-min Park
Wed Jun 22, 2016 3:04am EDT
North Korea launched what appeared to be a second intermediate-range Musudan missile on Wednesday that flew about 400 km (250 miles), in what appeared to be its most effective test yet, hours after another launch failed, South Korea's military said.
It was not immediately clear if the second Musudan launch, about two hours after the first, was considered a success or failure, or how the flight ended. However, the distance it covered was theoretically more than halfway towards the southwest coast of Japan's main Honshu island.
The missile reached an altitude of 1,000 km (620 miles), indicating North Korea had made progress in its missile programs, Japan's Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani said.
"The threat to Japan is intensifying," Nakatani told reporters in Tokyo.
The first missile was launched from the east coast city of Wonsan, a South Korean official said, the same area where previous tests of intermediate-range missiles were conducted, possibly using mobile launchers.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting a government official, said it disintegrated mid-air after a flight of about 150 km (95 miles).
The launches were in continued defiance of international warnings and a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the North from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang rejects as an infringement of its sovereignty.
Wednesday's first launch would have been the fifth straight unsuccessful attempt in the past two months to launch a missile that is designed to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and could theoretically reach any part of Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.
Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies said missiles are usually fired at a certain angle to maximize range, so the high altitude of the second launch may have been chosen deliberately to avoid Japanese airspace.
"That suggests the missile worked perfectly," Lewis said. "Had it been fired at its normal angle, it would have flown to its full range."
Lewis said failures were a normal part of testing and that North Korea would fix problems with the Musudan sooner or later.
"If North Korea continues testing, eventually its missileers will use the same technology in a missile that can threaten the United States," Lewis told Reuters.
SERIOUS PROVOCATION
Nakatani said North Korea's repeated missile launches were a "serious provocation" and could not be tolerated.
Japan indicated after the first launch that it would protest strongly because it violated a United Nations resolution, even though the launches posed no immediate threat to Japanese security.
In Seoul, South Korea's presidential office said a national security meeting would be convened later on Wednesday to discuss the latest missile launches.
The U.S. military detected the two missiles, most likely Musudan, from North Korea, the U.S. military's Pacific Command said. A Pentagon spokesman said both missiles fell into the Sea of Japan.
Yonhap, citing an unidentified government source, said on Tuesday the North had been seen moving an intermediate-range missile to its east coast. Japan put its military on alert in response.
North Korea is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed around 2007, although the North had never attempted to test-fire them until April.
The U.N. Security Council, backed by the North's main diplomatic ally, China, imposed tough new sanctions in March after the isolated state conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket that put an object into space orbit.
North Korea has conducted a series of tests since then that it claimed showed progress in nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile capabilities, including new rocket engines and simulated atmospheric re-entry.
The two Koreas technically remain in a state of war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry said North Korea should channel its efforts into the welfare of its people and peace on the Korean peninsula rather than developing its missile technology.
(fair use applies)
North Korea missile test reaches new heights, threat to Japan intensifies
SEOUL | By Ju-min Park
Wed Jun 22, 2016 3:04am EDT
North Korea launched what appeared to be a second intermediate-range Musudan missile on Wednesday that flew about 400 km (250 miles), in what appeared to be its most effective test yet, hours after another launch failed, South Korea's military said.
It was not immediately clear if the second Musudan launch, about two hours after the first, was considered a success or failure, or how the flight ended. However, the distance it covered was theoretically more than halfway towards the southwest coast of Japan's main Honshu island.
The missile reached an altitude of 1,000 km (620 miles), indicating North Korea had made progress in its missile programs, Japan's Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani said.
"The threat to Japan is intensifying," Nakatani told reporters in Tokyo.
The first missile was launched from the east coast city of Wonsan, a South Korean official said, the same area where previous tests of intermediate-range missiles were conducted, possibly using mobile launchers.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting a government official, said it disintegrated mid-air after a flight of about 150 km (95 miles).
The launches were in continued defiance of international warnings and a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the North from using ballistic missile technology, which Pyongyang rejects as an infringement of its sovereignty.
Wednesday's first launch would have been the fifth straight unsuccessful attempt in the past two months to launch a missile that is designed to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and could theoretically reach any part of Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.
Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies said missiles are usually fired at a certain angle to maximize range, so the high altitude of the second launch may have been chosen deliberately to avoid Japanese airspace.
"That suggests the missile worked perfectly," Lewis said. "Had it been fired at its normal angle, it would have flown to its full range."
Lewis said failures were a normal part of testing and that North Korea would fix problems with the Musudan sooner or later.
"If North Korea continues testing, eventually its missileers will use the same technology in a missile that can threaten the United States," Lewis told Reuters.
SERIOUS PROVOCATION
Nakatani said North Korea's repeated missile launches were a "serious provocation" and could not be tolerated.
Japan indicated after the first launch that it would protest strongly because it violated a United Nations resolution, even though the launches posed no immediate threat to Japanese security.
In Seoul, South Korea's presidential office said a national security meeting would be convened later on Wednesday to discuss the latest missile launches.
The U.S. military detected the two missiles, most likely Musudan, from North Korea, the U.S. military's Pacific Command said. A Pentagon spokesman said both missiles fell into the Sea of Japan.
Yonhap, citing an unidentified government source, said on Tuesday the North had been seen moving an intermediate-range missile to its east coast. Japan put its military on alert in response.
North Korea is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed around 2007, although the North had never attempted to test-fire them until April.
The U.N. Security Council, backed by the North's main diplomatic ally, China, imposed tough new sanctions in March after the isolated state conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket that put an object into space orbit.
North Korea has conducted a series of tests since then that it claimed showed progress in nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile capabilities, including new rocket engines and simulated atmospheric re-entry.
The two Koreas technically remain in a state of war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry said North Korea should channel its efforts into the welfare of its people and peace on the Korean peninsula rather than developing its missile technology.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...-weapons-that-work/ar-AAhsJOw?ocid=spartanntp
Steely will seen behind Kim's push for N.Korea weapons that work
Reuters
Jack Kim
1 hr ago
Images in March of a smiling Kim Jong Un inspecting a silver sphere, purported to be a miniaturised nuclear warhead but likened in the media to a disco ball, burnished the North Korean leader's international image as deluded and reckless.
But on Wednesday, the man Hollywood and others love to mock proved sceptics wrong with what looks like the successful launch of a ballistic missile that reached an altitude of 1,000 km and got over half way to Japan's main island of Honshu.
Experts said the launch, which came after five failed tests including one earlier on Wednesday, marked progress in North Korea's weapons programme, and underlined Kim's steely determination as well as his patience with scientists involved.
The quick succession of flight tests of the Musudan missile, which began in April, also resembles methods used in the early stages of missile development by super powers decades ago, when sophisticated simulation equipment was not available to substitute actual tests.
"This rate of attempts is not too different from what the U.S. was doing in the Cold War," Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said. "It's of course very different from what the USA is doing these days.
"It may reflect the fact that North Korea has less capabilities in computer analysis, so it's easier for them to just launch another missile than to run a computer simulation."
Reclusive North Korea's state propaganda has painted Kim as a demanding but generous and understanding leader willing to forgive the failures of its scientists.
That contrasts with his reputation overseas as ruthless and impulsive, after he executed his own uncle, replaced his defence chief five times and defied the world with two nuclear tests.
"Humans grow by eating food and science flourishes amidst failures," North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun quoted Kim as telling scientists who knelt before him after a failed rocket launch in April 2012.
The dispatch was issued after an eventual successful launch in December that year.
The comments were echoed in a later state publication that described Kim patiently encouraging scientists distraught by failure.
"On receiving the report of the failure, Kim Jong Un said that failure was commonplace," a 2012 book summarising a year of the young leader's activities said, referring to a failed long-range rocket launch earlier that year.
"What was important was to find out the cause of the failure as soon as possible and make a successful launch," it quoted Kim as saying.
PEOPLE "NOT SHOT" FOR FAILURES
Michael Madden, an expert on political leadership in the North who has contributed to the Washington-based 38 North think-tank, said rumours of technicians behind failures being shot or purged were "nonsense".
"One thing to note is that people don't get shot behind failures," said Madden, who edits North Korea Leadership Watch. "They get shot because they lie in their reporting or refuse to accept responsibility."
Wednesday's second launch ended a recent run of unsuccessful attempts to test the Musudan missile, which is designed to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and could theoretically reach all of Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.
While failure is potentially embarrassing for Kim, the failed Musudan tests have not been reported in the North's tightly controlled state media, meaning that most North Koreans are in the dark about the programme.
"There's no great political risk to Kim Jong Un's status or reputation, because only a tiny percentage of the population even knows about the tests," Madden said.
Instead, Wednesday's second missile launch in a day and the failures which preceded it may in fact demonstrate Kim's determination to make the technology work, said Yang Uk, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
"They must have been working extremely hard and to a given time frame in order to make it work," said Yang, who is also a policy adviser to the South Korean military.
Like the rest of North Korea's opaque leadership, the state's nuclear and missile programmes are shrouded in secrecy, and deception and misinformation have long been an important part of propaganda aimed at maximizing the benefit for leaders.
It boasted in March of having successfully tested an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and mastered the re-entry technology for a warhead to fit on such a missile, assertions discredited by South Korea and the United States.
Experts said the more likely course of weapons development for the North was to perfect a shorter-range missile that can mount and deliver a nuclear warhead, which would pose a direct threat to the United States with the capability to hit Guam.
Jeffrey Lewis, of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said that with continued testing, the North will eventually develop a reliable Musudan that can threaten the United States.
"Failures are a part of testing. The North Koreans will, sooner or later, fix the problems with the Musudan." (Additional reporting by James Pearson and Ju-min Park; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...-weapons-that-work/ar-AAhsJOw?ocid=spartanntp
Steely will seen behind Kim's push for N.Korea weapons that work
Reuters
Jack Kim
1 hr ago
Images in March of a smiling Kim Jong Un inspecting a silver sphere, purported to be a miniaturised nuclear warhead but likened in the media to a disco ball, burnished the North Korean leader's international image as deluded and reckless.
But on Wednesday, the man Hollywood and others love to mock proved sceptics wrong with what looks like the successful launch of a ballistic missile that reached an altitude of 1,000 km and got over half way to Japan's main island of Honshu.
Experts said the launch, which came after five failed tests including one earlier on Wednesday, marked progress in North Korea's weapons programme, and underlined Kim's steely determination as well as his patience with scientists involved.
The quick succession of flight tests of the Musudan missile, which began in April, also resembles methods used in the early stages of missile development by super powers decades ago, when sophisticated simulation equipment was not available to substitute actual tests.
"This rate of attempts is not too different from what the U.S. was doing in the Cold War," Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said. "It's of course very different from what the USA is doing these days.
"It may reflect the fact that North Korea has less capabilities in computer analysis, so it's easier for them to just launch another missile than to run a computer simulation."
Reclusive North Korea's state propaganda has painted Kim as a demanding but generous and understanding leader willing to forgive the failures of its scientists.
That contrasts with his reputation overseas as ruthless and impulsive, after he executed his own uncle, replaced his defence chief five times and defied the world with two nuclear tests.
"Humans grow by eating food and science flourishes amidst failures," North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun quoted Kim as telling scientists who knelt before him after a failed rocket launch in April 2012.
The dispatch was issued after an eventual successful launch in December that year.
The comments were echoed in a later state publication that described Kim patiently encouraging scientists distraught by failure.
"On receiving the report of the failure, Kim Jong Un said that failure was commonplace," a 2012 book summarising a year of the young leader's activities said, referring to a failed long-range rocket launch earlier that year.
"What was important was to find out the cause of the failure as soon as possible and make a successful launch," it quoted Kim as saying.
PEOPLE "NOT SHOT" FOR FAILURES
Michael Madden, an expert on political leadership in the North who has contributed to the Washington-based 38 North think-tank, said rumours of technicians behind failures being shot or purged were "nonsense".
"One thing to note is that people don't get shot behind failures," said Madden, who edits North Korea Leadership Watch. "They get shot because they lie in their reporting or refuse to accept responsibility."
Wednesday's second launch ended a recent run of unsuccessful attempts to test the Musudan missile, which is designed to fly more than 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and could theoretically reach all of Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.
While failure is potentially embarrassing for Kim, the failed Musudan tests have not been reported in the North's tightly controlled state media, meaning that most North Koreans are in the dark about the programme.
"There's no great political risk to Kim Jong Un's status or reputation, because only a tiny percentage of the population even knows about the tests," Madden said.
Instead, Wednesday's second missile launch in a day and the failures which preceded it may in fact demonstrate Kim's determination to make the technology work, said Yang Uk, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
"They must have been working extremely hard and to a given time frame in order to make it work," said Yang, who is also a policy adviser to the South Korean military.
Like the rest of North Korea's opaque leadership, the state's nuclear and missile programmes are shrouded in secrecy, and deception and misinformation have long been an important part of propaganda aimed at maximizing the benefit for leaders.
It boasted in March of having successfully tested an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and mastered the re-entry technology for a warhead to fit on such a missile, assertions discredited by South Korea and the United States.
Experts said the more likely course of weapons development for the North was to perfect a shorter-range missile that can mount and deliver a nuclear warhead, which would pose a direct threat to the United States with the capability to hit Guam.
Jeffrey Lewis, of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said that with continued testing, the North will eventually develop a reliable Musudan that can threaten the United States.
"Failures are a part of testing. The North Koreans will, sooner or later, fix the problems with the Musudan." (Additional reporting by James Pearson and Ju-min Park; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-...ys-missile-gives-ability-to-attack-us/7535646
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un says successful Musudan missile launch gives ability to attack US
Posted 43 minutes ago
After supervising the test launch of a medium long-range strategic ballistic missile, North Korea leader Kim Jong-un says the country came to possess the ability to attack US interests in the Pacific, official media reported.
Key points:
•Kim Jong-un hails launch as a 'great event'
•Missile guarantees development of strategic weapons: state media
•The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles
"We have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the Americans in the Pacific operation theatre," Mr Kim was quoted as saying.
South Korean and US military officials reported on Wednesday that the North launched two intermediate-range Musudan missiles.
The first of the two was considered a failure, but the second flew 400 kilometres into the Sea of Japan.
North Korea's KCNA news agency said the test-fire was successful without any impact to the security of neighbouring countries.
Mr Kim, who personally monitored Wednesday's Musudan test, said it was a "great event" that significantly bolstered the North's pre-emptive nuclear attack capability.
KCNA said the missile had been fired at a high angle to simulate its full range and had reached a maximum height of more than 1,400 kilometres.
"It provided a sure sci-tech guarantee for developing the system of strategic weapons," the agency said.
"The test-fire was successfully conducted without giving any slightest effect to the security of surrounding countries."
The Musudan has an estimated range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres.
The lower range covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam.
After four failed Musudan launches earlier this year, a successful test marked a major step forward for a weapons program that ultimately aspires to develop a proven nuclear strike capability against the US mainland.
The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed around 2007, although the North had never attempted to test-fire them until April.
Reuters/AFP
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-...ys-missile-gives-ability-to-attack-us/7535646
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un says successful Musudan missile launch gives ability to attack US
Posted 43 minutes ago
After supervising the test launch of a medium long-range strategic ballistic missile, North Korea leader Kim Jong-un says the country came to possess the ability to attack US interests in the Pacific, official media reported.
Key points:
•Kim Jong-un hails launch as a 'great event'
•Missile guarantees development of strategic weapons: state media
•The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles
"We have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the Americans in the Pacific operation theatre," Mr Kim was quoted as saying.
South Korean and US military officials reported on Wednesday that the North launched two intermediate-range Musudan missiles.
The first of the two was considered a failure, but the second flew 400 kilometres into the Sea of Japan.
North Korea's KCNA news agency said the test-fire was successful without any impact to the security of neighbouring countries.
Mr Kim, who personally monitored Wednesday's Musudan test, said it was a "great event" that significantly bolstered the North's pre-emptive nuclear attack capability.
KCNA said the missile had been fired at a high angle to simulate its full range and had reached a maximum height of more than 1,400 kilometres.
"It provided a sure sci-tech guarantee for developing the system of strategic weapons," the agency said.
"The test-fire was successfully conducted without giving any slightest effect to the security of surrounding countries."
The Musudan has an estimated range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres.
The lower range covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam.
After four failed Musudan launches earlier this year, a successful test marked a major step forward for a weapons program that ultimately aspires to develop a proven nuclear strike capability against the US mainland.
The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed around 2007, although the North had never attempted to test-fire them until April.
Reuters/AFP
Kim's been too quiet.....
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-japan-request-urgent-meeting-north-korea-launch-40044095
US Calls for Swift UN Condemnation of North Korea Launches
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press · UNITED NATIONS — Jun 22, 2016, 7:59 PM ET
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting late Wednesday on North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power called for "urgent and united condemnation."
The United States and Japan, after consulting South Korea, requested a closed-door briefing from the U.N. Secretariat on the North's reported firing of the two midrange missiles. One flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) high after five failed attempts in recent months.
Power told reporters as she headed into the council meeting that North Korea's repeated defiance of international law "underscores how important it is for us to come together to ensure consequences for this inherently destabilizing behavior, and this inherent and consistent and repeated threat to international peace and security."
The Security Council, which has imposed five rounds of sanctions on the North, strongly condemned three previous missile launches on June 1, calling them "a grave violation" of a ban on all ballistic missile activity that contributed to the country's nuclear weapons program.
The latest sanctions imposed by the council on March 2 were the toughest on North Korea in two decades, reflecting growing anger at what Pyongyang claims was its first hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6 and a subsequent rocket launch in defiance of a ban on all nuclear-related activity.
The sanctions include mandatory inspections of cargo leaving and entering North Korea by land, sea or air; a ban on all sales or transfers of small arms and light weapons to Pyongyang; and expulsion of diplomats from the North who engage in "illicit activities."
Power said united condemnation from the U.N.'s most powerful body is a first step "but we're again looking to ensure accountability — looking to identify again individuals, entities who may be responsible for this repeated series of tests that pose such a threat to international peace and security."
Those individuals and entities would be added to the sanctions blacklist.
A spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the launch "a brazen and irresponsible act," and "a deliberate and very grave violation of its international obligations."
"The DPRK must change its course for a denuclearized Korean peninsula," Farhan Haq said, using the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
———
Associated Press writer Michael Astor contributed to this report from the United Nations
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-japan-request-urgent-meeting-north-korea-launch-40044095
US Calls for Swift UN Condemnation of North Korea Launches
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press · UNITED NATIONS — Jun 22, 2016, 7:59 PM ET
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting late Wednesday on North Korea's launch of two ballistic missiles and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power called for "urgent and united condemnation."
The United States and Japan, after consulting South Korea, requested a closed-door briefing from the U.N. Secretariat on the North's reported firing of the two midrange missiles. One flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) high after five failed attempts in recent months.
Power told reporters as she headed into the council meeting that North Korea's repeated defiance of international law "underscores how important it is for us to come together to ensure consequences for this inherently destabilizing behavior, and this inherent and consistent and repeated threat to international peace and security."
The Security Council, which has imposed five rounds of sanctions on the North, strongly condemned three previous missile launches on June 1, calling them "a grave violation" of a ban on all ballistic missile activity that contributed to the country's nuclear weapons program.
The latest sanctions imposed by the council on March 2 were the toughest on North Korea in two decades, reflecting growing anger at what Pyongyang claims was its first hydrogen bomb test on Jan. 6 and a subsequent rocket launch in defiance of a ban on all nuclear-related activity.
The sanctions include mandatory inspections of cargo leaving and entering North Korea by land, sea or air; a ban on all sales or transfers of small arms and light weapons to Pyongyang; and expulsion of diplomats from the North who engage in "illicit activities."
Power said united condemnation from the U.N.'s most powerful body is a first step "but we're again looking to ensure accountability — looking to identify again individuals, entities who may be responsible for this repeated series of tests that pose such a threat to international peace and security."
Those individuals and entities would be added to the sanctions blacklist.
A spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the launch "a brazen and irresponsible act," and "a deliberate and very grave violation of its international obligations."
"The DPRK must change its course for a denuclearized Korean peninsula," Farhan Haq said, using the initials of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
———
Associated Press writer Michael Astor contributed to this report from the United Nations
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...ergency-meeting-north-korea-missile-launches/
National
U.N. Security Council to convene emergency meeting over North Korea missile launches
Kyodo
Jun 23, 2016
Article history
NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council is slated to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon over North Korea’s latest missile launches following a request made by the United States and Japan, diplomats said.
“Confronted with the threat of proliferation, we consider that weakness is not an option and based on all this we favor a quick and firm reaction of the Security Council,” said Francois Delattre, U.N. ambassador of France, the rotating council president of the month.
Speaking to reporters, he expected that the 15-member council would agree to a press statement that he hopes would be issued as soon as possible, as has been the pattern after most of North Korea’s recent medium-range firings.
The latest launches occurred on Wednesday morning Japan time, with one of the Musudan missiles flying about 400 km and reaching an altitude of more than 1,000 km, prompting global concerns amid what appears to be technological advances.
The Musudan has a potential range of between 2,500-4,000 km, which could reach any target in Japan and South Korea, as well as U.S. military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.
The first missile that was launched reportedly flew only about 150 km before breaking up midair, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. This was also the case for four previous Musudan missiles that have been tested since April.
A diplomat told Kyodo News that concern over the Musudan that traveled further was what caused the meeting to be called.
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...ergency-meeting-north-korea-missile-launches/
National
U.N. Security Council to convene emergency meeting over North Korea missile launches
Kyodo
Jun 23, 2016
Article history
NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council is slated to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon over North Korea’s latest missile launches following a request made by the United States and Japan, diplomats said.
“Confronted with the threat of proliferation, we consider that weakness is not an option and based on all this we favor a quick and firm reaction of the Security Council,” said Francois Delattre, U.N. ambassador of France, the rotating council president of the month.
Speaking to reporters, he expected that the 15-member council would agree to a press statement that he hopes would be issued as soon as possible, as has been the pattern after most of North Korea’s recent medium-range firings.
The latest launches occurred on Wednesday morning Japan time, with one of the Musudan missiles flying about 400 km and reaching an altitude of more than 1,000 km, prompting global concerns amid what appears to be technological advances.
The Musudan has a potential range of between 2,500-4,000 km, which could reach any target in Japan and South Korea, as well as U.S. military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.
The first missile that was launched reportedly flew only about 150 km before breaking up midair, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. This was also the case for four previous Musudan missiles that have been tested since April.
A diplomat told Kyodo News that concern over the Musudan that traveled further was what caused the meeting to be called.
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
AFP news agency @AFP 8m BREAKING: N. Korea test-fires submarine-launched missile:
S. Korea defence ministry
Yonhap News Agency @YonhapNews 13m
N. Korea test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile from east coast
http://bit.ly/29DcOL3
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
N. Korea test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile
from east coast
2016/07/09 12:16
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/07/09/0200000000AEN20160709002200315.html
SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired what appeared to be
a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast
on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The missile was fired from waters southeast of the coastal port city
of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 11:30 a.m.,
according to the military. The latest launch comes as the communist
country has conducted a series of sea- and ground-based ballistic
missile tests since April.
pbr@yna.co.kra submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast
on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The missile was fired from waters southeast of the coastal port city
of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 11:30 a.m.,
according to the military. The latest launch comes as the communist
country has conducted a series of sea- and ground-based ballistic
missile tests since April.
(END)
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
I was coming on to post that news but I see PI already posted it
.So I'll add this news which I am going to post to the China thread here too:
http://www.military.com/daily-news/...deploy-anti-missile-system-counter-north.html
(fair use applies)
US, South Korea Agree to Deploy Anti-Missile System to Counter North
The Los Angeles Times | Jul 08, 2016 | by Julie Makinen and Steven Borowiec
SEOUL -- Citing the threat from North Korea, Washington and Seoul have announced plans to deploy the U.S. antiballistic missile system known as THAAD in South Korea -- a move that drew strong objections from China.
The decision to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system was formally announced at a news conference Friday in Seoul by Gen. Thomas Vandal, chief of staff for the U.S. forces in South Korea, and South Korea's deputy minister of defense, Ryu Je-seung.
"North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction, in opposition to its commitments to the international community, require our alliance to ensure that we retain the ability defend ourselves in the face of this threat," Vandal said.
The system "will be focused solely on North Korean nuclear and missile threats and would not be directed towards any third party nations," the Pentagon added in a statement.
China, which shares a border with North Korea, has been voicing its opposition to THAAD for months.
"China is very unsatisfied and resolutely opposes" the move, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday. "The missile system is unhelpful in realizing the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, is no good for the stabilization of the peninsula, runs counter to the effort of various parties' negotiations, and will severely damage the safety of China and nearby countries and the regional strategic balance."
The ministry urged Washington and Seoul to reconsider and to refrain from actions that "complicate the regional situation" and "harm China's strategic and security interests."
China's ambassador to South Korea has also warned that system could undo recent progress in relations between Beijing and Seoul and "create a vicious cycle of Cold War-style confrontations and an arms race."
John Delury, a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, said Friday that the move "shifts the wind in bilateral relations between China and South Korea. China has made it clear that this is a kind of red-line issue for them. Going with THAAD is going to mean that South Korea will take a hit in its ability to seek cooperation from China regarding North Korea."
THAAD is designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles as they fall downward toward earth, not during the upward part of their trajectory.
China is apparently concerned not so much that deploying THAAD in South Korea would allow the U.S. to shoot down Chinese missiles but that the system's radar could give Washington better early warning and tracking of Chinese missiles. The U.S. already has deployed the system in Hawaii, Guam and elsewhere.
Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, has said that Beijing had the power to stop the deployment of THAAD in South Korea by pressuring Pyongyang to halt its missile activities.
"If China wanted to exert a lot of influence on somebody to prevent THAAD from being considered going into Korea," he told reporters in February, "then they should exert that influence on North Korea."
Washington and Seoul began intense consultations on THAAD immediately after Kim Jong-un's regime launched a long-range rocket in early February that Pyongyang claimed put a satellite into orbit. In April, North Korea said it successfully tested an engine designed for an intercontinental ballistic missile and in June launched what the U.S. said appeared to be two intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
The U.S., Japan and South Korea won backing from China at the United Nations for tighter sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang's nuclear test and long-range rocket launch in February.
But Delury said South Korea's decision to embrace THAAD might cause China to be less strict with its unpredictable neighbor.
"South Korea is always asking that China enforce sanctions [on North Korea] harder. It's going to be difficult for them to ask that now, and China will likely be less receptive to those requests," he said.
"It also gives China an opening to try to improve ties with North Korea, which Xi Jinping wants to do even though Kim Jong Un drives him crazy. He's likely now to seek a way to use Chinese influence more effectively in North Korea."
The system will be operated by U.S. forces in South Korea.
Ryu, South Korea's deputy minister of defense, said a joint U.S.-South Korea team had "confirmed the military effectiveness of THAAD" and was working on final preparations to propose the best site for the battery.
Although some of North Korea's recent missile launches have been described as failures, each successive test helps Pyongyang further refine its technology, experts say.
Daniel Pinkston, a lecturer in international relations at Troy University in Seoul, called the decision to deploy THAAD inevitable and not surprising.
"With the pace of North Korea's missile development, and the fact that South Korea's own missile defense system is still a ways off in terms of being effective to address the threat posed by North Korea, deploying THAAD is a prudent move," he said. "The fact that North Korea keeps testing and developing their own missiles makes it politically easy to announce it now."
Pinkson called concerns that deploying THAAD may risk South Korea's relations with China "exaggerated."
"The system is designed to prevent a missile landing on a densely populated South Korean city," he said. "There's no reason for anyone to disapprove of THAAD unless they're planning a missile attack on a South Korean city."
South Korea's main opposition, the liberal Minjoo Party, issued a statement saying that while it didn't oppose the deployment of THAAD, it was "regrettable" that the decision was "rushed," without more deliberations in parliament and with the public.
But Kim Jong-dae, a defense analyst and lawmaker with the left-wing Justice Party, held a news conference Friday afternoon at the National Assembly in Seoul, where he announced his party's opposition to the deployment of THAAD, calling it "truly outrageous."
He argued that the deployment would only heighten tensions in East Asia by antagonizing China as well as Russia, which also has expressed opposition to THAAD in South Korea.
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
Some commentary on the THAAD development.
http://atimes.com/2016/07/us-missile-shield-in-south-korea-shakes-up-strategic-balance/
(fair use applies)
US missile shield in South Korea shakes up strategic balance
By M.K. Bhadrakumar on July 8, 2016 in AT
China’s threat perceptions are going to deepen. Nuclear modernization can now be expected to be pushed higher on China’s policy agenda. THAAD, a common threat to China and Russia, will be a litmus test of the Sino-Russian strategic coordination and partnership. Their shared concerns over the US unilateralism should bring the two countries to closer cooperation in military technology.
The United States and South Korea have announced their decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the U.S. Forces Korea on the Korean peninsula.
The negotiations that began in February have successfully concluded.
The development has far-reaching consequences for the regional stability in the Asia-Pacific and the global strategic balance as a whole.
Washington and Seoul rationalize their decision in terms of the nuclear and missile threat posed by North Korea.
The plan is to deploy one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery by end-2017, which comprises six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, airborne radar and fire control system. A Xinhua report on the development explained that
The US-South Korean joint statement maintains that the THAAD will not target any other third country and will be operated only in response to the North Korean threat.
But the argument will not be any more persuasive than the US’s claim that its missile defense deployments in Central Europe are directed against the threat posed by Iran and are not directed against Russia. Unsurprisingly, China has reacted. A foreign ministry statement Friday said,
Beijing’s reference to “interested countries” means Russia. The joint statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was issued after the latter’s visit to China on June 25, had included a paragraph specifically on missile defense:
To be sure, Moscow will share Beijing’s concern over the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. What is at stake is not so much the technical capabilities of the THAAD system – both Moscow and Beijing would know its vulnerabilities – but about its upgrade in the future.
Russia and China suspect that the US intends to make them vulnerable to a US first strike. As the Union of Concerned Scientists commented in a recent report, it “isn’t the reality of the missile defense but the US’ dream of missile defense” that would worry Moscow and Beijing.
Russia and China would have been content with the global strategic balance resting on the idea of mutual vulnerability, which is after all the basis of deterrence.
But they suspect that the US is focusing on them through the massive decades-old missile defense program, with a view to realizing the dream of ‘nuclear superiority’, which remained elusive through the Cold War era.
What lies ahead?
Nuclear modernization can now be expected to be pushed higher on China’s policy agenda. Beijing would see the THAAD as a starting point for improved and expanded US capabilities later.
China’s public rhetoric against the US’ missile defense, which used to be muted in the past, has been sharply rising of late.
The bottom line is that the deployment of theatre missile defense systems in Northeast Asia is becoming another major contentious issue between Washington and Beijing.
Beijing will not be far off the mark in seeing the US decision on the missile defense deployments in the Asia-Pacific in the context of the US’ broader re-balance strategy, which is a barely-concealed containment policy toward China.
Indeed, China’s threat perceptions would deepen. The point is, once they become operational, the US missile defense systems can threaten the very credibility, reliability and effectiveness of China’s woefully inadequate strategic nuclear arsenal.
The US’ ABM deployments in the border regions of Russia and China become a litmus test of the Sino-Russian strategic coordination and partnership. Their shared concerns over the US unilateralism should bring the two countries to closer cooperation in military technology.
Technical assistance from Russia could be a game changer for China’s nuclear modernization. On the other hand, economic factors are important for Russia’s own R&D on future weapons development and here China can play a big role in the funding of such programs.
The big question, however, remains: Would the two countries have the strategic congruence for pooling their resources together to overcome US missile defenses? For Russia, this is something like sharing its crown jewels.
At any rate, Russian Defence Ministry announced in May that the two countries would hold their first-ever computer-assisted missile defence drill:
Although the statement clarified that the drill was not directed against any third country, a noted Chinese military commentator and retired PLA colonel Yue Gang frankly admitted,
Yue added that the combined military strength of China and Russia would enable them to defend each other in the event of a missile attack.
In the final analysis, much would depend on the response routes Beijing chooses. China has the economic wherewithal to embark on a nuclear modernization drive both in qualitative and quantitative terms.
To be sure, the best and the brightest minds in the strategic community in China would have begun applying to the vulnerabilities of China’s limited nuclear retaliatory capabilities and the range of possible Chinese responses – keeping in view their implications for regional security, Sino-US relations, as well as for global arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
A number of options are open for Beijing – increasing the number of ICBMs, deploying decoys or mobile ICBMs, developing technical counter-measures such as multiple re-entry vehicles, ‘space control’ (eg., anti-satellite system capable of attacking the ABM) and so on.
Each one of these possible responses would have significant consequences for arms control and non-proliferation.
Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001). He writes the “Indian Punchline” blog and has written regularly for Asia Times since 2001.
http://atimes.com/2016/07/us-missile-shield-in-south-korea-shakes-up-strategic-balance/
(fair use applies)
US missile shield in South Korea shakes up strategic balance
By M.K. Bhadrakumar on July 8, 2016 in AT
China’s threat perceptions are going to deepen. Nuclear modernization can now be expected to be pushed higher on China’s policy agenda. THAAD, a common threat to China and Russia, will be a litmus test of the Sino-Russian strategic coordination and partnership. Their shared concerns over the US unilateralism should bring the two countries to closer cooperation in military technology.
The United States and South Korea have announced their decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the U.S. Forces Korea on the Korean peninsula.
The negotiations that began in February have successfully concluded.
The development has far-reaching consequences for the regional stability in the Asia-Pacific and the global strategic balance as a whole.
Washington and Seoul rationalize their decision in terms of the nuclear and missile threat posed by North Korea.
The plan is to deploy one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery by end-2017, which comprises six mobile launchers, 48 interceptors, airborne radar and fire control system. A Xinhua report on the development explained that
- The THAAD’s radar can locate missiles far beyond the DPRK (North Korean) territory, causing China and Russia to repeatedly voice serious concerns over the deployment. The X-band radar can spot missile as far as 2,000 km with forward-based mode and 600 km with terminal mode. As the two have the same hardware, the terminal mode, which South Korea allegedly plans to adopt, can be changed into the radar with a much longer detectable range.
The US-South Korean joint statement maintains that the THAAD will not target any other third country and will be operated only in response to the North Korean threat.
But the argument will not be any more persuasive than the US’s claim that its missile defense deployments in Central Europe are directed against the threat posed by Iran and are not directed against Russia. Unsurprisingly, China has reacted. A foreign ministry statement Friday said,
- The US and the Republic of Korea, ignoring the clear position of other interested countries, including China, have announced the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. The Chinese side expresses its extreme dissatisfaction and strong protest in this regard.
Beijing’s reference to “interested countries” means Russia. The joint statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was issued after the latter’s visit to China on June 25, had included a paragraph specifically on missile defense:
- With a view toward the historical experience and practice of building a new type of great power relations, and with a sense of historic responsibility for world peace and humanity’s future, the two sides call on all nations of the world to … deepen mutual understanding, coordination and cooperation on the question of missile defenses, urge members of international society to be prudent on the issues of deploying and beginning cooperation on missile defenses, and oppose one country or group of countries unilaterally and unlimitedly strengthening missile defenses, harming strategic stability and international security. We stand for the collective confrontation of the challenges and threats from ballistic missiles, preferring to confront the proliferation of ballistic missiles within the framework of international law and political diplomacy, where the security of one group of nations cannot be sacrificed at the expense of another group of nations.
To be sure, Moscow will share Beijing’s concern over the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. What is at stake is not so much the technical capabilities of the THAAD system – both Moscow and Beijing would know its vulnerabilities – but about its upgrade in the future.
Russia and China suspect that the US intends to make them vulnerable to a US first strike. As the Union of Concerned Scientists commented in a recent report, it “isn’t the reality of the missile defense but the US’ dream of missile defense” that would worry Moscow and Beijing.
Russia and China would have been content with the global strategic balance resting on the idea of mutual vulnerability, which is after all the basis of deterrence.
But they suspect that the US is focusing on them through the massive decades-old missile defense program, with a view to realizing the dream of ‘nuclear superiority’, which remained elusive through the Cold War era.
What lies ahead?
Nuclear modernization can now be expected to be pushed higher on China’s policy agenda. Beijing would see the THAAD as a starting point for improved and expanded US capabilities later.
China’s public rhetoric against the US’ missile defense, which used to be muted in the past, has been sharply rising of late.
The bottom line is that the deployment of theatre missile defense systems in Northeast Asia is becoming another major contentious issue between Washington and Beijing.
Beijing will not be far off the mark in seeing the US decision on the missile defense deployments in the Asia-Pacific in the context of the US’ broader re-balance strategy, which is a barely-concealed containment policy toward China.
Indeed, China’s threat perceptions would deepen. The point is, once they become operational, the US missile defense systems can threaten the very credibility, reliability and effectiveness of China’s woefully inadequate strategic nuclear arsenal.
The US’ ABM deployments in the border regions of Russia and China become a litmus test of the Sino-Russian strategic coordination and partnership. Their shared concerns over the US unilateralism should bring the two countries to closer cooperation in military technology.
Technical assistance from Russia could be a game changer for China’s nuclear modernization. On the other hand, economic factors are important for Russia’s own R&D on future weapons development and here China can play a big role in the funding of such programs.
The big question, however, remains: Would the two countries have the strategic congruence for pooling their resources together to overcome US missile defenses? For Russia, this is something like sharing its crown jewels.
At any rate, Russian Defence Ministry announced in May that the two countries would hold their first-ever computer-assisted missile defence drill:
- The Russian and Chinese defense ministers decided to hold the first Air and Space Security 2016 joint computer-assisted command and staff exercise in May 2016 on the premises of the Central Research Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Aerospace Defense Force to practice missile defense. The exercise will aim to practice combined operations of Russian and Chinese air and missile defense task forces to provide protection from accidental and provocative attacks of ballistic and cruise missiles.
Although the statement clarified that the drill was not directed against any third country, a noted Chinese military commentator and retired PLA colonel Yue Gang frankly admitted,
- THAAD is a common threat to both China and Russia. This joint exercise will serve as a warning to the US and also mark the beginning of the two countries’ military cooperation following their diplomatic consensus (over the missile system).
Yue added that the combined military strength of China and Russia would enable them to defend each other in the event of a missile attack.
In the final analysis, much would depend on the response routes Beijing chooses. China has the economic wherewithal to embark on a nuclear modernization drive both in qualitative and quantitative terms.
To be sure, the best and the brightest minds in the strategic community in China would have begun applying to the vulnerabilities of China’s limited nuclear retaliatory capabilities and the range of possible Chinese responses – keeping in view their implications for regional security, Sino-US relations, as well as for global arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
A number of options are open for Beijing – increasing the number of ICBMs, deploying decoys or mobile ICBMs, developing technical counter-measures such as multiple re-entry vehicles, ‘space control’ (eg., anti-satellite system capable of attacking the ABM) and so on.
Each one of these possible responses would have significant consequences for arms control and non-proliferation.
Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001). He writes the “Indian Punchline” blog and has written regularly for Asia Times since 2001.
Everyone is assuming that the intent of the test was the missile and not the underwater launch system and procedure from the submarine.....If we see the sub again on satellite imagery and it isn't torn up then the test should be looking at as a success on that end which is just as important as the missile working beyond leaving the submarine and breaking surface....HC
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missile-idUSKCN0ZP02U
Business | Sat Jul 9, 2016 2:09am EDT
Related: World, South Korea, North Korea, Aerospace & Defense
North Korea fires missile from submarine but it appears to have failed: South Korea
SEOUL | By Ju-min Park
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from a submarine on Saturday but it appears to have failed soon after launch, South Korea's military said.
The launch comes at the end of a week of sharply rising tensions on the peninsula. It is only a day after the U.S. and South Korea pledged to deploy an advanced anti-missile system to counter threats from Pyongyang, and two days after North Korea warned it was planning its toughest response to what it deemed a "declaration of war" by the United States.
That followed Washington's blacklisting of the isolated state's leader Kim Jong Un for alleged human rights abuses.
The South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. Seoul time (0230 GMT) in waters east of the Korean peninsula.
The missile was likely fired from a submarine as planned but appears to have failed in the early stage of flight, the Joint Chiefs said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile's engine successfully ignited but the projectile soon exploded in mid-air at a height of about 10 km (6 miles), and covered not more than a few kilometers across the water.
The South's military declined to confirm those details.
The missile was detected in the sea southeast of the North Korean city of Sinpo, South Korea's military said. Satellite images indicate Pyongyang is actively trying to develop its submarine-launched ballistic missile program in this area, according to experts.
Related Coverage
› North Korea missile fell into sea, no threat to North America: U.S. Strategic Command
ABE CONDEMNS
Neighboring Japan, the United States, and South Korea's military condemned the missile launch as a flagrant violation of U.N. sanctions.
The missile launch is a "clear challenge to U.N. Security Council resolutions," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday, according to Kyodo news agency.
"We should strongly condemn the launch by working with the international community," Abe told reporters.
Abe said the launch did not gravely affect Japan's national security.
The U.S. said it was monitoring and assessing the situation in close coordination with its regional allies and partners.
"We strongly condemn North Korea's missile test in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, which explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology," said Gabrielle Price, spokeswoman for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
"These actions, and North Korea's continued pursuit of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities, pose a significant threat to the United States, our allies, and to the stability of the greater Asia-Pacific," she added.
Related Coverage
› U.S. State Dept. condemns North Korea missile test
› Japan PM Abe says North Korea missile launch should be strongly condemned: Kyodo
The North has conducted a string of military tests that began in January with its fourth nuclear test and included the launch of a long-range rocket the following month.
The U.N. Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the country in March for its nuclear test and rocket launch.
North Korea rejects the sanctions as infringement of its sovereignty and its right to space exploration.
South Korea and the United States said on Friday they would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system with the U.S. military in South Korea to counter the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, drawing a sharp and swift protest from neighboring China, Pyongyang's sole major ally.
Pyongyang also conducted a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in April, calling it a "great success" that provided "one more means for powerful nuclear attack".
A report on 38 North, a website run by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., said in May that North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile program is making progress, but it appeared that the first ballistic missile submarine and operational missiles are unlikely to become operational before 2020.
(Additional reporting by Jack Kim in SEOUL and Taiga Uranaka in TOKYO; Editing by Ed Davies and Martin Howell)
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missile-idUSKCN0ZP02U
Business | Sat Jul 9, 2016 2:09am EDT
Related: World, South Korea, North Korea, Aerospace & Defense
North Korea fires missile from submarine but it appears to have failed: South Korea
SEOUL | By Ju-min Park
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from a submarine on Saturday but it appears to have failed soon after launch, South Korea's military said.
The launch comes at the end of a week of sharply rising tensions on the peninsula. It is only a day after the U.S. and South Korea pledged to deploy an advanced anti-missile system to counter threats from Pyongyang, and two days after North Korea warned it was planning its toughest response to what it deemed a "declaration of war" by the United States.
That followed Washington's blacklisting of the isolated state's leader Kim Jong Un for alleged human rights abuses.
The South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. Seoul time (0230 GMT) in waters east of the Korean peninsula.
The missile was likely fired from a submarine as planned but appears to have failed in the early stage of flight, the Joint Chiefs said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile's engine successfully ignited but the projectile soon exploded in mid-air at a height of about 10 km (6 miles), and covered not more than a few kilometers across the water.
The South's military declined to confirm those details.
The missile was detected in the sea southeast of the North Korean city of Sinpo, South Korea's military said. Satellite images indicate Pyongyang is actively trying to develop its submarine-launched ballistic missile program in this area, according to experts.
Related Coverage
› North Korea missile fell into sea, no threat to North America: U.S. Strategic Command
ABE CONDEMNS
Neighboring Japan, the United States, and South Korea's military condemned the missile launch as a flagrant violation of U.N. sanctions.
The missile launch is a "clear challenge to U.N. Security Council resolutions," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday, according to Kyodo news agency.
"We should strongly condemn the launch by working with the international community," Abe told reporters.
Abe said the launch did not gravely affect Japan's national security.
The U.S. said it was monitoring and assessing the situation in close coordination with its regional allies and partners.
"We strongly condemn North Korea's missile test in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, which explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology," said Gabrielle Price, spokeswoman for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
"These actions, and North Korea's continued pursuit of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities, pose a significant threat to the United States, our allies, and to the stability of the greater Asia-Pacific," she added.
Related Coverage
› U.S. State Dept. condemns North Korea missile test
› Japan PM Abe says North Korea missile launch should be strongly condemned: Kyodo
The North has conducted a string of military tests that began in January with its fourth nuclear test and included the launch of a long-range rocket the following month.
The U.N. Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the country in March for its nuclear test and rocket launch.
North Korea rejects the sanctions as infringement of its sovereignty and its right to space exploration.
South Korea and the United States said on Friday they would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system with the U.S. military in South Korea to counter the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, drawing a sharp and swift protest from neighboring China, Pyongyang's sole major ally.
Pyongyang also conducted a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in April, calling it a "great success" that provided "one more means for powerful nuclear attack".
A report on 38 North, a website run by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., said in May that North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile program is making progress, but it appeared that the first ballistic missile submarine and operational missiles are unlikely to become operational before 2020.
(Additional reporting by Jack Kim in SEOUL and Taiga Uranaka in TOKYO; Editing by Ed Davies and Martin Howell)
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