Conservative Musings

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Showing posts with label ballistic Missile. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

US ICBM Interceptor Test Goes Well But North Korea Tests Another ICBM. Is A Disaster In The Offing?

North Korea releases dramatic images of 'successful' ballistic missile test

North Korea completes 'successful' ballistic missile test

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North Korea on Tuesday boasted its test of a precision-guided missile was "successful", saying it had zeroed in within a few metres of a target provocatively close to Japan the day before.

The North's leader Kim Jong-un supervised the launch of the guided ballistic rocket - the third missile test by the nuclear-armed regime in less than three weeks and carried out in defiance of US threats of military action and UN sanctions.

The launch was condemned by Japan — The projectile appeared to have landed in Japanese waters CREDIT: KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY

"The ballistic rocket flew toward the east sky where the day broke and correctly hit a planned target point with deviation of seven meters after flying over the middle shooting range," the state-run news agency KCNA said.

South Korea's military earlier said the Scud-type missile travelled eastward for 450 km (280 miles). Japan said it believed it had fallen into its exclusive economic zone, extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.

The projectile appeared to have landed in Japanese waters — Monday's launch followed two successful tests of medium- to long-range missiles in as many weeks by Pyongyang CREDIT: KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY

The missile test triggered swift condemnation from US President Donald Trump who said it showed "disrespect" to neighbouring China, the North's sole major ally, which has sought to dampen tensions over Pyongyang's weapons programme.

The launch was aimed at testing a weapon "capable of making ultra-precision strike on the enemies' objects at any area", KCNA said.

"Whenever news of our valuable victory is broadcast... the Yankees would be very much worried about it and the gangsters of the South Korean puppet army would be dispirited more and more," Kim was quoted as saying.

Tensions are high in the region over the nuclear-armed North's weapons ambitionsCREDIT: KCNA

The projectile was showcased for the first time last month as part of Pyongyang's annual military parade to mark the 105th birth anniversary of the regime's founder Kim Il-Sung, the news agency added.

Following North Korea's test-firing earlier this month of what analysts said was its longest-range rocket yet, the UN Security Council vowed to push all countries to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang.

But China has made it clear that the push for talks - and not more sanctions - is its priority. On Monday it pleaded again for dialogue.

"We hope that related parties can remain calm and restrained, ease the tension on the peninsula, and bring the peninsula issue onto the right track of peaceful dialogue again," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

The US has said it is willing to enter into talks only if the North halts its missile and nuclear tests.

Several rounds of UN sanctions have done little to stop the isolated regime from pushing ahead with its ambition to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental US.

North Korea's military arsenal

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The impoverished nation has staged two atomic tests and test-fired dozens of rockets since the beginning of last year, including 12 launched this year.

A simultaneous launch of four missiles held on March 6 saw three falling provocatively close to Japan, sparking alarm in the neighbouring country.

Monday's test was the third since new South Korean president Moon Jae-In took office, posing a major challenge to Moon who advocated dialogue and reconciliation with Pyongyang in a break from his conservative predecessors.

Many analysts doubt if the North has developed an ICBM or a nuclear warhead small enough to fit atop a missile.

But most agree that the country has made a significant progress under the young leader, who took power after the death of his father and longtime ruler, Kim Jong-Il, in December 2011.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Regardless Where You Stand Politically, It Must Be Said, Trump Let Friends And Enemies Alike Know That He Will Take Action. North Korea, Russia, Iran And China Just Got A Message, Loud And Clear!

While Trump Smashed Syria, Look What He Quietly Did in North Korea

BY WILMOT PROVISO
ON APRIL 7, 2017 AT 5:08AM

On Thursday, the eyes of the world were again on Syria. Earlier in the week, strongman Bashar Assad incensed decent human beings everywhere when he apparently used nerve gas on his own citizens. The New York Times reported that attack killed at least 86 people in the rebel-held province of Idlib.

Unlike a previous attack in 2013 — when Assad crossed the “red line” of chemical weapons usage and President Barack Obama did nothing — U.S. reaction this time was swift. On Thursday, a U.S. missile strike almost totally destroyed the Shayrat air base in Syria, where the nerve gas attack was launched, according to Fox News.

“It is in this vital national security interest of the U.S. to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,” Trump said in a speech after the strike. “There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the U.N. Security Council.”

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Iranian Nuclear Deal Has More Holes In It Than A Colander.

What About Iran's "JCPOA"?

by Lawrence A. Franklin
December 15, 2015 at 5:00 am

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7056/iran-jcpoa-violations

Comment

The self-appointed P5+1, elected by no one but themselves, should be embarrassed to find that they have made a deal with no one but themselves.
The media's emphasis on the JCPOA has sadly neglected any in-depth coverage of Iran's own comprehensive plan of action, which seems to consist of developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related systems to deliver them.
The IAEA cannot even confirm with certainty that Iran does not already possess a nuclear bomb, and yet is not expected to challenge Tehran's assertion that it ceased nuclear weapons development more than a decade ago.
Although the U.S. also cannot be certain of Iran's intentions, it would be advisable to assume that Iran means what it says: "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

Iran is cheating already -- or is it? Iran has not signed anything, so presumably it cannot be cheating on something it never agreed to – as predicted on these pages half a year ago. The self-appointed P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany), elected by no one but themselves, should be embarrassed to find that they have made a deal with no one but themselves.
The lavishly touted and lavishly dangerous "Iran Deal" not only paves the way for Iran to have nuclear weapons, as it was planning, anyway; it also rewards Iran's repeated violations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty -- which it did sign -- with up to $150 billion. With a punishment like that, we should all start violating commitments.
Iran's recent missile tests have, been undermining the rationale of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the P5+1 signed with itself. If Iran is concerned that its missile tests might have violated multiple UN Resolutions, a paltry detail such as that clearly has not bothered anyone before, so why should it bother anyone now?
The media's emphasis on the JCPOA has sadly neglected any in-depth coverage of Iran's own comprehensive plan of action, which seems to consist of developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related systems to deliver them.
While Western diplomats were congratulating themselves on their JCPOA arrangement, Iran sent a "slap-in-the-face" signal to the Free World by launching an Emad ["Pillar"] ballistic missile on October 10. On December 8, State Department spokesperson John Kirby indirectlyacknowledged the launch of a second ballistic missile, fired on November 21. Kirby was quick to point out that test was not a violation of the JCPOA.
The launches are violations, however, of UN Security Council Resolution #2231, which bans ballistic missile tests by Iran. Although these tests do not defy the letter of the JCPOA, they do defy the spirit of it. Even though the initial missile test was denounced by the U.S. and allied UN representatives, no action has so far been taken against Iran. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, did condemn the October test and probably will also condemn the second test. But if this is outrage, that may be the extent of it.
What seems clear is that Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), which controls the ballistic missile program, is attempting to goad the West into additional punitive action against the Islamic Republic. Such response would serve to strengthen the hardline opposition to the JCPOA in Iran. Further, if the United States does nothing but issue condemnatory rhetoric, it will be interpreted by the regime as additional confirmation that the U.S. desires a nuclear agreement at virtually any cost.

The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), after its investigation into the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of Iran's past nuclear weapons development activities, was forced, thanks to Tehran's lack of cooperation and transparency to deliver an inconclusive initial report on December 2[1].
The Iranian regime's officials, such as Deputy Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi, have demanded the immediate lifting of the 12 UN Resolutions against Iran when the IAEA Board of Governors votes on the final PMD report on December 15.
The IAEA cannot therefore confirm with certainty that Iran does not already possess a nuclear bomb, or whether or not Tehran is presumably still pursuing one. The IAEA Board of Governors is, nevertheless, not expected to challenge Tehran's assertion that it ceased any such activities more than a decade ago.
Iran currently has several types of ballistic missiles in varying stages of development. The range of these missiles extends from the regional to the intercontinental -- with a version of one missile capable of reaching the continental United States. The most touted operational system is the Shahab ("Meteor") program, with several follow-on versions. The Shahab system has benefited by seemingly close cooperation with North Korea's ballistic missile program, Russian nuclear weapons engineers who were unemployed after the Soviet Union imploded, and China's direct and indirect technical assistance.
The principal threat to regional states, particularly to Israel, is that one does not know what one does not know -- in this instance, the stage of Iran's nuclear weapons programs.
Action by the U.S. Congress to inquire why the public disclosure of Iranian ballistic missile tests is being disseminated in dribs and drabs is long overdue, especially as America's technical intelligence collection methods provide immediate and certain knowledge of such tests.
Although the U.S. also cannot be certain of Iran's intentions, it would be advisable to assume that Iran means what it says: "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." If one assumes that these statements, made by a regime that stones women to death, are not mere propaganda, but ideological commitments, the time to demonstrate the Free World's resolve by way of strategic military exercises on Iran's borders is long overdue.

Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, where he was a Military Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Israel.

[1] Initial PMD Report summary observations are that Iran had a coordinated program to develop a nuclear explosive device up through 2003 but the program appears not to have advanced beyond scientific testing which did permit Iran to acquire certain competencies and capabilities. However, some aspects of the program continued until 2009.