ALERT UNC allows heavy weapons in Korean DMZ (10 July 2016)

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Housecarl

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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/07/205_209010.html

Posted : 2016-07-10 16:45
Updated : 2016-07-10 17:51

UNC allows heavy weapons in DMZ

By Rachel Lee

The United Nations Command (UNC) has revised rules to allow South Korean and U.S. military forces to carry heavy weapons in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), officials here said Sunday.

The measure came in response to the North Korean military's placement of heavy weapons in the DMZ, a 257-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide buffer zone that has remained since the armistice ending the Korean War was signed in 1953, they said.

The existence of heavy weapons in the DMZ increases the possibility of military conflict between the two sides and weakens the primary purpose of setting up the buffer zone after the 1950-53 war.

According to UNC Regulation 551-4, which outlines and implements responsibilities required to comply with the armistice, the U.S.-led UNC approved the deployment of heavy weapons at the buffer area, including medium and heavy machine guns, recoilless rifles, mortars and automatic grenade launchers. The changes went into effect on Sept. 5, 2014. Only individual arms were originally allowed in the DMZ.

The UNC said in the revised regulation that it made such updates to "take action against weapon systems placed by the North Korean military within the DMZ."

"North Korea has long deployed mortars and large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns as well as anti-personnel and anti-tank land mines in the DMZ in violation of the armistice agreement. We had to take countermeasures," a South Korean military official said.

The DMZ is the most fortified area in the world with 70 percent of troops from both Koreas stationed nearby. The southern part of the DMZ is under the control of the UNC and North Korea manages the northern part.

The Korean Peninsula has technically remained in a state of war since the 1950-53 war ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

rachel@ktimes.com
 
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Housecarl

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For links see article source.....
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/07/205_208994.html

Posted : 2016-07-10 09:38
Updated : 2016-07-10 09:38

UNC revises rules to allow machine guns, recoilless rifles into DMZ


The United Nations Command (UNC) has revised its armistice rules to allow South Korean and United States forces to carry machine guns, recoilless rifles and mortars into the military buffer with North Korea, a copy of the guidelines showed Sunday. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was originally set up to be clear of heavy arms.

The revision to the United Nations Regulation 551-4 recently obtained by Yonhap News Agency governs compliance with the inter-Korean armistice agreement and authorizes South Korean and U.S. troops to not only carry individual small arms, like pistols and assault rifles, but also heavy weapons into the DMZ. The changes went into effect on Sept. 5, 2014, and mark the first time the unified command formally took steps to better arm its soldiers in the 257-kilometer-long and 4-kilometer-wide strip of land that divides the Korean Peninsula since the armistice was signed in 1953.

The armistice brought about the cease fire to the Korean War (1950-53) with the UNC signing the armistice agreement on behalf of South Korea with North Korea.

The changed regulation states the UNC's commander "has authorized the placement" of medium and heavy machine guns up to 12.7 millimeters, K4 40mm automatic grenade launchers, 57mm recoilless rifles, 60mm and 81mm mortars, Claymore anti-personnel mines and hand grenades.

The updated regulation said the change is "due to the weapon systems placed within the DMZ by (North Korea's) Korean People's Army."

The revision was agreed between the UNC and South Korea in advance in the Memorandum for Authorized Exceptions within the DMZ signed between the UNC commander and South Korea's chairman on July 17, 2014, a UNC official noted.

Originally the armistice allowed the use of only personal sidearms like pistols in the DMZ because the military buffer was designed to prevent any unnecessary military clashes between the two sides.

But North Korea has long deployed mortars and large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns as well as anti-personnel and anti-tank land mines in the DMZ in violation of the armistice agreement, prompting South Korea's military to take countermeasures.

"The latest action means the UNC has allowed the use of heavy arms and reflects the shortcomings in the armistice rules that were not in touch with reality," a South Korean defense official said in regards to the revision. He pointed out that such a step is necessary since the North has declared the armistice pact null and void and has been arming its troops on the DMZ with more powerful weapons.

On the other hand, some experts argue the changes could increase the possibility of military skirmishes between the two Koreas and undermine the reason for creating the DMZ in the first place. (Yonhap)

ja9631@gmail.com
 
Warm Wisconsin

Warm Wisconsin

Easy as 3.141592653589..
So is this the next step after NK didn't listen to Obama's strongly worded tweet on the missle tests? This seems like a big deal but at the same time feels like more show.
 
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Housecarl

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http://www.stripes.com/news/s-korea-to-double-number-of-propaganda-loudspeakers-at-dmz-1.417698

S. Korea to double number of propaganda loudspeakers at DMZ

By Aaron Kidd
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 6, 2016


Image_56526546.jpg
South Korea plans to step up its barrage of anti-Pyongyang propaganda and pop music into the North by doubling the number of loudspeakers at the Demilitarized Zone by the end of the year, South Korean media reports say.

Screenshot from Arirang News


South Korea plans to step up its barrage of anti-Pyongyang propaganda and pop music by doubling the number of loudspeakers at the Demilitarized Zone by the end of the year, according to South Korean media reports.

“We will make more efforts to erode the morale of the North’s troops at the frontline and deliver information [about the outside world] to civilians there,” a military official told the South’s Yonhap News agency.

In an effort to drown out the North’s own propaganda blasts, future broadcasts will be louder and longer than in the past and contain harsher criticism of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Arirang News reported Wednesday.

There are now 15 loudspeakers — both fixed and moveable — on the south side of the DMZ with a range of about 6 miles, the report said.

The increase is also aimed at punishing Pyongyang for recent missile launches, the military official told Yonhap. On June 22, the North fired a Musudan missile that reportedly flew about 250 miles and reached an altitude of between 620 and 880 miles after it was fired over the Sea of Japan, raising concerns that North Korea is making progress toward its stated goal of developing a nuclear weapon that can reach the U.S. mainland. Five previous efforts to launch the midrange missile had failed.

The South restarted its broadcasts in August after a land mine reportedly planted by the North maimed two South Korean soldiers patrolling the heavily fortified border. An agreement between the two countries to ease heightened tensions included a halt to the propaganda blasts, which resumed after the North carried out its fourth underground nuclear test in January. The North then set up its own loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, and both sides have sent balloons over the border to drop propaganda leaflets.


kidd.aaron@stripes.com

Twitter: @kiddaaron

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Housecarl

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http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/07/04/2016070401401.html

N.Korea Plants More Landmines in DMZ


A military spokesman here said North Korea has been planting some 4,000 new landmines in the DMZ since April, nearly double the previous number.

It has planted landmines in eight locations across the nominally demilitarized zone.

The North replaces landmines in the zone ahead of the rainy season every year. Most of them are box landmines that are hard to spot.

Two South Korean soldiers were severely maimed when a box landmine blew up in the DMZ in August last year. The boxes are made of wood or plastic, which makes them hard to find with metal detectors.

They are also often swept away to the South by rains because they float, making them a hazard to civilians here.

The spokesman said the military here is on alert for the North intentionally floating mines into South Korea by stealthily planting them in the South Korean-controlled part of the DMZ.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff here are closely watching for possible provocations by North Korean forces on the occasion of the North's newly designated Day of the Strategic Force (July 3) and the U.S. Independence Day (July 4).


Read this article in Korean

By Kim Myong-song / Jul. 04, 2016 12:47 KST
 
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Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Warm Wisconsin said:
So is this the next step after NK didn't listen to Obama's strongly worded tweet on the missle tests? This seems like a big deal but at the same time feels like more show.
Click to expand...

1438657544373_141.jpg

http://www.chinadailyasia.com/attachement/jpg/site441/20150804/1438657544373_141.jpg

Well let's look at this in a historical context....Suppose on the Western Front during the First World War we compare and contrast what could occur either accidentally or on purpose if the two sides were limited to side arms only from the middle of No Man's Land back to 3 miles vs the way it really was with everything in an infantry unit's TO&E immediately available....True with the RoK and US restricted any "accidents" would all be on the DPRK, this now makes all that "mushy" to put it lightly....
 
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Housecarl

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https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20160709.aspx

Warplanes: South Korea Prepares For The Worst

July 9, 2016: In mod-2016 South Korea received the first of 36 AH-64E helicopter gunships it ordered in 2013. All will arrive by early 2017. This is a year ahead of schedule because of the growing threat from North Korea. The South Korean AH-64Es are equipped with the new TADS/PNVS (“Arrowhead”) all-weather targeting systems. The Arrowhead systems cost $6.8 million per helicopter. Despite the expense South Korean Army aviators had seen Arrowhead in action on U.S. AH-64s stationed in South Korea and urged adoption of the system because they could see how effective it was.

In 2005 the U.S. Army began installing Arrowhead in its AH-64s, after two years of development. Arrowhead uses the latest night vision devices (light enhancement and thermal, or heat, based) and fire control electronics to enable AH-64 crews to operate more safely, and effectively, at lower altitudes and in any weather. This is particularly critical in urban areas, where South Korea expects a lot of combat to take place if the North Koreans manage to get across the border (DMZ).

Work on Arrowhead got a boost after the Iraq invasion in 2003, which was followed by a growing amount of urban fighting. This created the need for an AH-64 that could hover at 800 meters (2,500 feet) altitude (safe from most small arms fire) and use its high resolution sensors to see who was doing what for out to eight kilometers (five miles) away. Arrowhead could do that, and now most American AH-64s have Arrowhead and many transport helicopters as well (to make night flying safer).

In the 1990s, the army developed another advanced fire control system for their AH-64s called Longbow. But this system was designed for the original mission: flying at higher altitudes and looking for and destroying distant enemy armored vehicles. The Longbow allowed the AH-64 to go after armored vehicles at night and in bad weather. In the past, potential American enemies practiced moving their armor at night and bad weather, to avoid helicopters armed with long range missiles (like Hellfire or TOW). Longbow was doubly lethal because it was designed to avoid giving away its position when using its radar. AH-64s also had electronic countermeasures. Arrowhead, on the other hand, made night and bad weather deadly for enemy troops thinking they could sneak through urban areas unobserved. Longbow could not spot these guys, but Arrowhead could and did.

The latest version of the AH-64 is the AH-64E. This model was originally designated the AH-64D Block III. But the changes proved to be so extensive that the name was changed to AH-64E The E version had its first flight in 2008. The army is upgrading all of its 634 AH-64s to the new E standard, a process that won't be completed until 2020. The first AH-64E entered service in 2011. The E version has a lot of improvements. One of the notable ones is a more powerful and fuel efficient engine, as well as much improved electronics. This includes Internet like capabilities with other aircraft and ground troops. The E version is able to control several UAVs and launch missiles at targets spotted by its UAVs. The E version radar has longer range and onboard computers are much more powerful. The electronics are easier to upgrade and maintain. The combination of Longbow, Arrowhead, and Internet capabilities greatly increased the capabilities of the AH-64.

The 10 ton AH-64E carries a pilot and a weapons officer, as well as about a ton of weapons. The AH-64 can operate at night and has a top speed of 260 kilometers an hour. Many more of the existing 1,100 AH-64s (American and foreign) may be upgraded to the E standard as well. Sorties average 90 minutes but can be extended to three hours or more by replacing weapons with fuel tanks.
 
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Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Creedmoor said:
Why is this an "ALERT"? [FONT=Verdana,Arial] "The changes went into effect on Sept. 5, 2014".[/FONT]
Click to expand...

The rules were revised in 2014 but they only officially/publicly authorized the troops to do it today. That's why I put in the "Alert" prefix.
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

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Thank you for doing so HouseCarl. I'd forgotten totally about this rule change and the alert was a good reminder.
We've tossed Russian diplomats out of DC, they tossed one or two out of Russia, and now this rule change takes place on the Z today. AND DPRK is twittering about THAAD deployments............Domestically the country is being turned inside out by BLM protests.
Talk about a ripe opportunity for any of our adversaries to do something stupid!

Housecarl said:
The rules were revised in 2014 but they only officially/publicly authorized the troops to do it today. That's why I put in the "Alert" prefix.
Click to expand...
 
danielboon

danielboon

TB Fanatic
"The Russian spies have discovered where the most powerful nuclear missiles are in America. It will start with the world calling for 'peace, peace. Then there will be an internal revolution in America, started by the Communists. The government will be busy with internal problems. Then, from the oceans, Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Central America, Mexico, and two other countries (which I cannot remember) will attack! The Russians will bombard the nuclear missile silos in America. America will burn. " dumitri duduman prophecy 1996 america will burn"
 
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