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Post by DavidH on Mar 21, 2017 19:53:43 GMT
N.Korea to pursue more arms, no fear of US North Korea has nothing to fear from any US move to broaden sanctions aimed at cutting it off from the global financial system and will pursue "acceleration" of its nuclear and missile programmes, a Pyongyang envoy says. This includes developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), Choe Myong Nam, deputy ambassador at the DPRK (North Korean) mission to the United Nations in Geneva, told Reuters. www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/03/22/nkorea-pursue-more-arms-no-fear-us
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Post by DavidH on Mar 22, 2017 10:36:41 GMT
China is set to increase the number of its Marine CorpsChina plans to expand the People’s Liberation Army Marine Corps from 20,000 to 100,000 soldiers, reported South China Morning Post on March 13th. China’s military reform is progressing steadily and details of its plans will be released in due course, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) told the Global Times on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an anonymous person from the navy was quoted by SCMP as saying that thePLAMC will increase the number of soldiers to fulfill new missions. This source also said the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will also increase its personnel numbers by 15%. As per SCMP, China is establishing a naval base in Djibouti, but as of now the number of soldiers needed to staff the base remains unknown. The report has also said that Chinese forces are likely to be stationed at Gwadar, a port inPakistan, as a Chinese company made a large investment in facilities there and the port may be able to accommodate Chinese warships in the near future. defence-blog.com/news/china-is-set-to-increase-the-number-of-its-marine-corps.html
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Post by DavidH on Mar 22, 2017 17:00:16 GMT
Chinese officials warned US bomberChinese officials warned a US military aircraft flying near South Korea Sunday, telling its pilots that they were illegally operating in Chinese airspace and ordering the American plane to leave, a US defense official told CNN. The pilots of the US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft responded to the Chinese air traffic controllers, saying that they were conducting routine operations in international airspace and did not deviate from their flight path, the official added. The US plane was flying 70 nautical miles southwest of South Korea's Jeju Island. The area sits in the controversial Chinese East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone, which Beijing declared in 2013. The zone covers airspace and islands that are also claimed by Japan. edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/china-us-aircraft-warned/index.html
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Post by DavidH on Mar 22, 2017 17:35:57 GMT
B-1B bomber holds attack drill in KoreaA U.S. strategic bomber trained with South Korean fighter jets Wednesday over the peninsula, sending a strong warning message to North Korea, according to the allies. They said the B-1B conducted an immediate deployment and simulation-based bombing drill in case of any emergency on the peninsula. Initially, two B-1Bs were scheduled to be deployed but there was a "mechanical" problem with one, an informed source said. Flying over the island of Jikdo in the West Sea, where the U.S. Forces Korea's bombing range is located, the B-1B was joined by South Korea's squadrons of F-15K and two KF-16 fighter jets as part of the two countries' annual defense drills, added the source. It then headed back to the Guam base. english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2017/03/22/88/0401000000AEN20170322007651315F.html
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Post by DavidH on Mar 22, 2017 18:58:57 GMT
Second of MSDF’s largest warship comes into serviceThe [Japanese] Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kaga helicopter carrier, its joint-largest warship, was commissioned here on March 22. The ceremony to deliver the new destroyer to the Defense Ministry was held in a Yokohama shipyard that day. The Kaga is 248 meters long, equivalent to the Izumo, which went into service in 2015, and has five helipads. According to the MSDF, the Kaga’s construction costs totaled about 120 billion yen ($1.1 billion). It will be deployed to the No. 4 Escort Flotilla, based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. The Kaga can carry 14 or more helicopters, which will mainly patrol for submarines. Those patrol helicopters will search for Chinese submarines, which are becoming difficult for Japan to detect due to improvements in their capabilities. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201703220067.html
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Post by DavidH on Mar 23, 2017 15:43:01 GMT
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Post by DavidH on Mar 23, 2017 19:01:48 GMT
North Korea will launch another nuclear test in next few days, officials sayNorth Korea is in the final stages of preparing for another nuclear test, which could come in the next few days, U.S. officials with knowledge of the most recent intelligence from the region told Fox News. “The test could come as early as the end of the month,” said one official. U.S. defense officials have seen evidence that North Korea has completed digging new tunnels around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, but it still has to move more equipment into the area for a possible test, the official added. www.foxnews.com/world/2017/03/23/north-korea-will-launch-another-nuclear-test-in-next-few-days-source-says.html
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Post by DavidH on Mar 24, 2017 16:59:35 GMT
China is not militarizing South China Sea, Premier Li saysChina is not militarizing the South China Sea, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday, although he acknowledged that defense equipment on islands in the disputed waterway had been placed there to maintain "freedom of navigation". "China's facilities, Chinese islands and reefs, are primarily for civilian purposes and, even if there is a certain amount of defense equipment or facilities, it is for maintaining the freedom of navigation," Li said. The United States estimates Beijing has added more than 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land on seven features in the South China Sea over the past three years, building runways, ports, aircraft hangars and communications equipment. www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-idUSKBN16V04A?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=%2ASituation%20Report
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