Japan, China, South Korea Agree To Cooperate On North Korea
TOKYO (AP) — China, Japan and South Korea warmed their chilly relations Wednesday, brought together by a common goal: ending North Korea’s nuclear program.

Leaders from the three countries held their first three-way summit in more than two years, demonstrating a spirt of cooperation despite continuing differences over North Korea and other issues.

While short on specifics, the show of unity, especially ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s expected talks with President Donald Trump, was seen as a major success.

“It was extremely significant that Japan, China and South Korea reaffirmed the importance of their cooperation ahead of a U.S.-North Korea meeting,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, praising the outcome of the summit.

The agreements came at the first summit for the Northeast Asian neighbors after a hiatus of more than two years, bringing together Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“The three countries will take leadership to achieve peace and prosperity in the ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/japa...erate-on-north-korea&utm_campaign=20180509IHS
 
Trump: North Korea Summit Will Be in Singapore on June 12
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Singapore on June 12.

"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!," Trump said on Twitter Thursday, hours after he personally welcomed home three Americans freed by North Korea.

During the event at Joint Base Andrews, in the state of Maryland, 25 kilometers from the White House, the president accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, boarded a U.S. Air Force C-40 Jet to briefly speak with the three men who had been imprisoned in North Korea.

Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also greeted the three Korean-Americans when they came off the military plane.

After handshakes the president, standing alongside the three men, expressed thanks to North Korean leader Kim for releasing them, stating that "I really think he wants to do something" to bring North Korea "into the real world."

Trump has said the goal for his upcoming talks with Kim is for North Korea to agree to denuclearize.

Secretary of State Pompeo, who traveled to North Korea to secure the release of the detainees, said holding such a summit would have been more difficult had the Americans still been detained

After handshakes the president, standing alongside the three men, expressed thanks to North Korean leader Kim for releasing them, stating that "I really think he wants to do something" to bring North Korea "into the real world." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...510-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2288.ph0ao0037n.23u5
 
US Would Offer North Korea 'Security Assurances' if It Ended Nuclear Program
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that if North Korea agrees to full denuclearization, the United States is prepared to "provide security assurances" for the Pyongyang government and allow private American investment to build out the country's woefully inadequate electrical grid.

"We will have to provide security assurances, to be sure," the top U.S. diplomat told Fox News. "This is a trade-off that has been pending for 25 years."

He said that until President Donald Trump, "No president has ever put America in a position where the North Korean leadership thought that this was truly possible, that the Americans would actually do this, leading to the place where America was no longer held at risk by the North Korean regime. That's the objective." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...513-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2290.ph0ao0037n.23wj


Press Release of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Pyongyang, May 12 (KCNA) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued a following press release on Saturday:

In accordance with the decision of the Third Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency ofof discontinuance of the nuclear test.

A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on weather condition.

Dismantlement of the nuclear test ground will be done in the following sequence-making all tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion; completely blocking entries; removing all observation facilities, research institutes and structures of guard units on the ground. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...12-kcna01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2290.ph0ao0037n.23wo
 
Police: Indonesia Suicide Bombings Work Of 2 Families
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian family brought its 8-year-old daughter to a suicide bomb attack it launched Monday on the police headquarters in the country’s second-largest city, authorities said, a day after members of another family conducted coordinated suicide bombings on three city churches that killed 12 people.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said the girl, who was with two of the attackers on a motorcycle, survived being thrown by the blast at Surabaya’s police headquarters. The attack killed the four perpetrators. Six civilians and four officers were wounded.

The attack came just hours after police said the family that carried out the church bombings included girls aged 9 and 12.

The flurry of bombings raised concerns that previously beaten-down militant networks in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation have been reinvigorated by the return of some of the estimated 1,100 Indonesians who went to fight with the Islamic State group in Syria. Experts have warned for several years that when those fighters return, they could pose a significant threat.

IS claimed responsibility for the church bombings in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. Karnavian, however, said earlier police comments that the family had spent time in Syria were incorrect.

He said the church bombers and the police headquarters attackers were friends, as were another family whose homemade bombs exploded in their apartment Sunday night. ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/indo...sia-suicide-bombings&utm_campaign=20180514IHS
 
Taiwan aiming to build 3 corvette class warships by 2025
Taipei, May 14 (CNA) Taiwan plans to construct three corvette class warships by 2025 and move up its schedule for the construction of another eight vessels, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said Monday.

The Navy is hoping to obtain a total of 11 locally built stealth corvettes, called Tuo Jiang, which will be built in two phases over the next few years as Taiwan seeks to improve its asymmetric warfare capabilities amid a growing military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, Yen said during a legislative hearing.

In the first phase, the tender process for the construction of the first three corvette class warships will be completed by the end of the year and work will begin next year, according to the Navy's Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Lee Chung-hsiao (李宗孝).
The other eight vessels will be built in the second stage, with construction starting in 2019 or 2020, depending on the development of the situation, Lee said.

According to a Navy spokesman, the original plan was to complete construction of the 11 stealth corvettes vessels in three phases by 2030 but the schedule has been moved up and the project will now be carried out in two phases ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...514-cna02.htm?_m=3n.002a.2291.ph0ao0037n.23y0
 
MH370 Experts Think They’ve Finally Solved The Mystery Of The Doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight
All but one of the 239 people on the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had probably been unconscious — incapacitated by the sudden depressurization of the Boeing 777 — and had no way of knowing they were on an hours-long, meandering path to their deaths.
Along that path, a panel of aviation experts speculated Sunday, was a brief but telling detour near Penang, Malaysia, the home town of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

On two occasions, whoever was in control of the plane — and was probably the only one awake — tipped the craft to the left. The experts believe Zaharie, the plane’s pilot, was taking a final look.

That is the chilling theory that the team of analysts assembled by Australia’s “60 Minutes” have posited about the final hours of MH370. The conclusions have not been backed by any official findings from investigations into the mystery surrounding the March 2014 flight. But the experts on “60 Minutes” sought to draw the most likely scenario of the plane’s fate from the little that is known.

They suspect that the plane’s 2014 disappearance and apparent crash was a suicide by the 53-year-0ld Zaharie — and a premeditated act of mass murder.

But first, the experts said, they believe that Zaharie depressurized the plane, knocking out anyone aboard who wasn’t wearing an oxygen mask. That would explain the silence from the plane as it veered wildly off course: no mayday from the craft’s radio, no final goodbye texts, no attempted emergency calls ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/mh37...ity.commh370-mystery&utm_campaign=20180515IHS
 
Korean Navy’s second amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado hits the water

The Republic of Korea Navy has launched ROKS Marado, its improved Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction shipyard in Busan.

The ceremony took place Monday and was hosted by South Korean defense minister Song Young-moo.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the minister’s wife, Koo Ja-jeong, served as the ship sponsor.

The keel-laying ceremony for ROKS Marado took place April 2017, after HHIC signed a KRW 417.5 billion contract with DAPA for construction of Marado on December 23, 2014.

Compared to the first ship in the class, the ROKS Dokdo, Marado will have improved landing operation capabilities, according to DAPA. The ship features South Korean anti-ship guided missile systems and the Phalanx close-in weapons system.

In addition to being used for anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-air warfare (AAW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, the 199-meter-long ship will be used for government-led support activities such as disaster relief and emergency evacuation operations.

Marado is expected to be commissioned in 2020, following tests and evaluations, according to DAPA.
korean-navys-second-amphibious-assault-ship-roks-marado-hits-the-water.jpg

https://navaltoday.com/2018/05/15/k...ult-ship-roks-marado-hits-the-water/?uid=5430
 
Philippines:

Defense technology company Saab says it has been awarded a contract to deliver its Sea Giraffe AMB naval radar system to the Philippine Navy.

The radars, in addition to the company’s 9LV for radar control and display for enhanced situational awareness, will be installed on two Philippine Navy frigates: BRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16).

The systems are being delivered through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal between the US and the Philippines.

BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz are former US Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutters, transferred to the Philippines in 2011 and 2013, respectively. A third Hamilton-class cutter, former USCGC Boutwell, was transferred to the Philippines in 2016 and was christened by the Philippine Navy as BRP Andres Bonifacio.

“With Sea Giraffe AMB currently part of three separate US Navy programs, this contract further strengthens Saab’s position as a trusted supplier for the US Navy. We are proud that our world-class naval radar meets the USN’s standards and needs,” said Anders Carp, Head of Saab business area Surveillance.

Saab is currently delivering its Sea Giraffe AMB to five classes of US Navy surface ships as a part of three separate US Navy programs.

To date, Sea Giraffe has been installed on six littoral combat ships, LCS 2 through LCS 12. Additional systems are in various stages of manufacturing and testing to meet LCS construction schedules.

In October 2017, the US Navy announced it will deploy Sea Giraffe AMB on the US Coast Guard’s newest class of ship, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). Additionally, Saab is developing a derivative of Sea Giraffe AMB, known as AN/SPN-50, to meet the US Naval Air Systems Command’s air traffic control requirements on aircraft carrier and amphibious assault class ships.
saab-to-deliver-sea-giraffe-radars-for-philippine-navy-frigates-320x261.jpg

https://navaltoday.com/2018/05/21/s...radars-for-philippine-navy-frigates/?uid=5430
 
Trump Calls Off Upcoming North Korea Summit
It's off – at least for now.

President Donald Trump says he has canceled his planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, blaming recent statements by Pyongyang.

"I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea and, indeed, a setback for the world," said the president in noontime remarks in the White House Roosevelt Room prior to signing an unrelated bill.

The president also warned that the military forces of the United States are "more ready than we have ever been before," along with allies South Korea and Japan, should North Korea take any "foolish or reckless acts." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/dprk/2018/dprk-180524-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2300.ph0ao0037n.248c


North Korea dynamites nuclear test site, media invited to planned event

North Korea has dismantled its sole known nuclear test site in an array of explosions, journalists invited to witness the promised destruction report.

Foreign reporters, including those from the United States, China, Russia, the UK and South Korea, who were present in a safe distance from the Punggye-ri test facility on Thursday, said they had heard multiple explosions, arguably enough for the destruction of the test site.

Earlier this month, Pyongyang said that the site would be "completely" destroyed between May 23 and 25, depending on weather condition, adding that the country would also allow journalists from a handful of foreign media to "conduct on-the-spot coverage" of the landmark event. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...presstv01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2300.ph0ao0037n.248h
 
K136 Kooryong MLRS for the Philippine Army:


In 2017, the South Korean Ministry of Defense (MOD) appeared to have offered their K136 Kooryong MLRS to the Department of National Defense (DND) as Excess Defense Articles (EDA), with the DND relaying the information to the Philippine Army. After some considerations, the Philippine Army has formalized its interest to the offer, and the DND confirmed the PA's interest by August 2017 to its South Korean counterparts.

By March 2018, the DND confirmed that the Philippine Army is interested in transferring an initial battalion worth of K136 Kooryong MLRS in the 130mm caliber, which is 18 units for 3 batteries of 6 firing units plus associated support vehicles and items.

Based on MaxDefense's information, the Philippine Army is scheduled, or may have already conducted the Joint Visual Inspection (JVI) which is a requirement by law for any transfer or acquisition of equipment from foreign sources. This is to determine if the weapons/systems being proposed for transfer or acquisition are feasible.

No word though if the Philippine Marine Corps has expressed interest in such offer.

Should the Philippine Army and even the PMC find the system suited for their needs and cost considerations, there is a possibility for both services to acquire more systems in the near future.

There was no specifics provided if when can these rocket system be transferred to the Philippine Army, but due to its simplicity compared to the transfer of the Pohang-class corvette ROKS Chungju to the Philippine Navy, MaxDefense believes that it is highly possible for the Philippine Army to obtain the entire battalion of MLRS within 2018.

It also appears that funding for any costs related to the transfer are not part of the Horizon 2 phase's funding program, and it is possible that the Philippine Army would shoulder the expenses using its own annual funding, or a separate fund will be used.
mail

http://maxdefense.blogspot.com/2018...il&utm_campaign=Feed:+Maxdefense+(MaxDefense)
 
Pompeo to Meet with Top N. Korean Official in NY
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet later this week with a North Korean four-star general in New York for talks related to a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader, according to the White House.

Kim Yong Chol, the vice chairman of the powerful Central Committee and North Korea's former spy chief, departed Beijing on an Air China commercial flight Tuesday for John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that Kim's visit is a "solid response to my letter, thank you!"

"Kim Yong Chol is the man who whispers in Kim Jong Un's ear. Not only does he advise him on strategy but he also conveys the leader's demands. He'll be coming to New York to negotiate on Kim Jong Un's behalf. It's another very strong sign of commitment to this summit," said Jean Lee, director of the Korea program at the Wilson Center.

Tough discussions ahead

Lee, former Pyongyang bureau chief for the Associated Press, tells VOA tough discussions ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...529-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2304.ph0ao0037n.24de
 
North Korea shakes top military brass as Trump-Kim meet nears
North Korea has removed its top three military officials, a senior US official says, a move that experts think is aimed at jump-starting direct talks with South Korea and the United States.

The unnamed US official's remarks on Sunday confirmed an earlier report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Reuters reported Monday

Citing unidentified intelligence sources, Yonhap said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had chosen No Kwang Chol, first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, to replace Pak Yong Sik as defense chief, while also replacing the chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), Ri Myong Su with his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA had announced earlier that Army General Kim Su Gil was replacing Kim Jong Gak as director of the KPA's General Political Bureau. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...presstv02.htm?_m=3n.002a.2308.ph0ao0037n.24i6
 
Kim Arrives In Singapore As Historic Summit With Trump Nears
Singapore's Foreign Ministry says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the country for an upcoming June 12 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Welcomed Chairman Kim Jong Un, who has just arrived in Singapore," Vivian Balakrishnan said on Twitter, with a picture of him shaking hands with Kim wearing glasses and a dark Maoist suit.

Kim is scheduled to meet Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later on June 10, the country's Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Trump has left the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Canada, on his way to Singapore.

He is set to meet with Lee on June 11 after his arrival late on June 10 at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base.

Discussions between Trump and Kim are sched
Trump said the summit is a "onetime" chance for North Korea, adding, "but I feel really confident."

Trump said he would know "within a minute" if Kim was serious about giving up his nuclear weapons. He added that U.S. and North Korean officials have been working together in Singapore to prepare for the meeting.

Trump's delegation includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...0-rferl01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2313.ph0ao0037n.24nv
 
Philippines:
The Philippine government is considering buying additional fighter jets from South Korea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday.

In 2015, the Aquino administration purchased 12 FA-50 fighter jets worth P18.9 billion. The acquisition was completed in 2017.

President Rodrigo Duterte has been critical of the acquisition of air assets, saying it was just a waste of money. But the assets proved useful during the Marawi siege as they were used for the bomb runs that flushed out the Maute group.

The President later expressed interest in procuring more fighter jets.

Duterte visited South Korea over the weekend. His visit yielded $4.9 billion worth of investment agreements.

Lorenzana said they also discussed possible transfer of technology from South Korea so the Philippines can produce its own military equipment.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/998603/ph-mulls-purchase-of-additional-fighter-jets-from-south-korea
 
Trump Renews Defense of North Korea Agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his defense Sunday of the agreement he reached with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, saying it already has led to an end to Pyongyang's nuclear tests and "rockets flying all over the place."

Trump has voiced his irritation at U.S. critics' assessment that the brief pact he and Kim signed at their Singapore summit was not specific enough to ensure an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons development. The accord said Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," but set no timetable for the disarmament or terms for independent inspections of North Korean nuclear sites.

Trump, on Twitter, said, "Funny how the Fake News" - Trump's term for news stories he doesn't like - "in a coordinated effort with each other, likes to say I gave so much to North Korea because I 'met.' That's because that's all they have to disparage! We got so much for peace in the world, & more is being added in finals. Even got our hostages/remains!" ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...617-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2318.ph0ao0037n.24tz



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late last week the United States and North Korea will soon resume negotiations, possibly this week, and the U.S. "most definitely" is expecting
 
Japan to despatch helicopter carrier to South China Sea.

Kosuke Takahashi, Tokyo
Japan will send one of its two Izumo-class helicopter carriers on a two month-long tour of the South China Sea and Indian Ocean for the second straight year as the country aims to bolster international co-operation in safeguarding key sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region, a Japanese official told Jane’s on 6 June.

Starting in September JS Kaga (DDH 184) will make stops in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines and at ports in India and Sri Lanka. The ship will also make a port call at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base at around the same time as the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus meeting are scheduled to be held there (18-20 October).

“This is part of Japan’s efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy,” the official said. “For maritime security Japan is focusing on capacity building assistance to Southeast Asia and on what we call ‘strategic messaging,’ which appeals to the rule of law for securing free and open seas,” the official added.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sent out Kaga ’s sister ship, JS Izumo (DDH 183), on a similar tour last year.
http://www.janes.com/…/japan-to-despatch-helicopter-carrier…
 
Philippines:
Delivery of 2 anti-sub helicopters set in March 2019

The Philippine Navy (PN) will receive its first two anti-submarine helicopters, AgustaWestland AW159 “Wildcat”, in March next year.

“Siguro sa March ang delivery (The delivery is probably in March 2019),” PN flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said when asked about the delivery dates for the two aircraft, during an interview with reporters Monday.

The AW159s, to be sourced from the Anglo-Italian aircraft manufacturer AgustaWestland, will help the two missile-armed frigates being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries for PHP18 billion, against submarine attacks.

“Itong anti-submarine warfare will (help the frigates against submarine attacks) kasi yun submarine ang magpapalubog ng mga barko(These anti-submarine helicopters will help the frigates against submarine attacks because submarines sink ships). So this will help in the defense of the frigates,” Empedrad added.

The contract for the two anti-submarine helicopters is worth PHP5.4 billion and includes munition, mission essential equipment, and integrated logistic support. The AW159, previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat, is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter.

The helicopter, which has been ordered for the Royal Navy and British Army, is capable of speeds of 291 km/h, has a range of 777 km., a ferry range of 963 km., and an endurance of one-and-a-half hours (four hours and 30 minutes if fitted with auxiliary fuel).

The AW159 can be fitted with forward firing CRV7 rockets and machine guns, pintle-mounted machine gun, Sea Skua missiles, and Sting-Ray torpedoes and depth charges.
http://www.canadianinquirer.net/2018/07/24/ph-navy-delivery-2-anti-sub-helicopters-set-march-2019/
 
Philippine Snipers in 2018 International ARMY Games. Our world class Army Snipers are in Belarus to participate in the Sniper Competition portion of Russia's International ARMY Games 2018. They will be up against some of the best snipers in the world and will be using Russian sniper rifles. Our Defense Attache in Moscow, Col. Dennis Pastor will be with them shortly to provide his full support. This is the first time the Philippines will be participating in these games. We wish our Army Sniper Team the best

The International Army Games will be from July 28 to August 11, 2018, in six countries, including in Iran for the first time. In 2017, the games were held in five countries, with 28 competitions held. A total of 150 teams from 20 countries took part in them. The games were attended by 44 observers from 36 countries.

phili sniper  russia.jpg
 

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