The results of a small town mayoral election on distant Okinawa island risks undermining plans to build a U.S. base and may further inflame tensions in the already strained U.S.-Japan military alliance. Challenger Susumu Inamine, who opposes constructing the U.S. base, beat pro-base Yoshikazu Shimabukuro in the January 24th contest, which had largely became a referendum on the U.S. military facility. Inamine’s victory will stiffen Okinawan and Japanese resistance to the construction plan. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will use the Okinawan election as further justification for refusing to abide …
The most surprising aspect of the dust-up between the U.S. and Japan is that anyone is surprised. It was obvious that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) security policies ran counter not only to long-standing U.S. priorities but also to American strategic interests. Yet, the common post-election view among analysts and in the press was complacency. Most held that there was little likelihood for strains in the military relationship and that any potential for tension would be further reduced if Washington only accommodated its policies to those of the new …
Two dozen U.S. and South Korean government websites were attacked in early July. Malicious programs were found to have targeted 26 websites, including that of the White House, as well as the South Korean presidential office, legislature, and ministry of defense. The cyber attackers utilized a distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) approach to overwhelm the websites with data to impede or disable service. If Pyongyang were behind the recent cyber attacks, it would mark another escalation in North Korean provocations against Washington and Seoul. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service stated that such …
North Korea launched on July 2 at least three short-range anti-ship missiles into waters along its east coast. Pyongyang’s provocative act will further heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and may be a precursor to additional missile activity in coming days. Pyongyang’s increased anti-ship missile and coastal artillery training since the beginning of the year may be a show of tactical military prowess to back up escalating threats of renewed naval confrontation with South Korea over a disputed maritime border on the west coast. The launch of the anti-ship missiles, …
The US Navy is shadowing a North Korean freighter that may be transporting military cargo banned by UN Resolution 1874. US defense officials have not identified the suspected military contraband, which could run the gamut from conventional weapons to missiles or even nuclear technology or components. The UN resolution imposed such tightly constrained means for enforcement that it now hinders international efforts to prevent North Korean nuclear and missile proliferation. The UN resolution, passed on June 12 in response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test, is plagued with loopholes. The …
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates ordered the deployment of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to defend Hawaii should a pending North Korean long-range missile launch pose a threat to the US. The mobile ground-based missile defense system would augment longer-range missile interceptors based in Alaska. The US has also deployed the sea-based X-Band Radar (SBX) from Pearl Harbor to increase detection and intercept capabilities. The Obama administration was criticized for not deploying the highly capable radar prior to North Korea’s April launch of a long-range Taepo Dong-2 (TD-2) …
Pyongyang ’s eagerness to conduct a nuclear test so quickly after its long-range missile launch shows it has abandoned its previous façade of negotiations and is instead striving to achieve a viable nuclear weapon and ICBM delivery capability. North Korea ’s unflinching efforts to develop the means to threaten the US and its allies with nuclear weapons underscores the ongoing need to continue to develop and deploy a missile defense system. The rapid pace of Pyongyang ’s provocations since January indicates it has altered its objectives and is no longer …
After a week of intense deliberations over North Korea’s missile launch, the UN Security Council (UNSC) opened its doors and emitted a mighty roar…of a mouse. The UNSC’s failure to defend its resolutions against Pyongyang’s unambiguous violation bodes ill for diplomatic efforts to prevent proliferation and denuclearize North Korea. China’s willingness to derail the international push to punish North Korea for its transgression should lay to rest perceptions of Beijing as a “responsible stakeholder.” It is also a stark reminder of the need for US missile defense at a time …
North Korea’s launch of a long-range Taepo Dong 2 missile would be a direct challenge not just to the United States but to the international community’s resolve to confront threats to regional stability. Pyongyang’s willingness to escalate tensions shows that, despite the change in U.S. leadership, North Korea will not adopt a more accommodating stance. U.N. Resolutions 1695 and 1718 unambiguously prohibit Pyongyang from launching a missile or “satellite.”
North Korea has notified the appropriate international civilian maritime and aviation authorities to warn that Pyongyang will launch a satellite between 4 and 8 April. In the 2006 UN resolutions, the UN cited NK’s lack of a similar notification as dangerous and provocative. Pyongyang is trying to follow the rules this time to minimize negative fallout and to give China and Russia some grounds for pushing back against strong UN Security Council action. The launch itself, as well as the continued existence of the missile program, is a violation of …
