Tempo of far east military ops
...doesn't seem to be easing.
Earlier, I posted a link concerning the large allied task force that had been operating in the Philippine Sea within the last two weeks.
USS Carl Vinson To Drill with French Carrier, Japanese Destroyer Carrier
Operations related to the Koreas seem to not to have let up with the new administration here in the US, nor with the potential fall of the US new right proxy Yoon looming.
North Korea Threatens US With Nuclear Response
Pyongyang now possesses a limited number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) believed capable of striking targets across North America, though one senior U.S. Air Force official recently warned any such attack would backfire. Last week, the U.S. test-fired an ICBM over the Pacific and deployed strategic bombers for joint drills with South Korea's Air Force...
According to a statement by North Korea's defense ministry information office, the second Trump administration has already stepped up U.S. "provocations threatening the security environment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)."
...
Wednesday's launch of the Minuteman III ICBM, last week's five-day port call by Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Alexandria at Busan, South Korea, and joint live-fire drills near the North Korean border earlier this month were among the "provocative" U.S. moves listed.
US military moves including deployment of so called strategic assets to the region, undermined a prior de-escalation that Trump had championed during his first term and actually survived "sometimes you gotta walk" at Hanoi. The current tempo of military operations are actually a continuation of an escalation begun by Yoon, the embattled president of South Korea currently subject to impeachment proceedings and criminal prosecution, supported by the prior Biden administration. The demonstrations of strategic power are concurrent with recent activities by a UN sanctions monitoring group reviewing North Korea's activities.
North Korea warns of 'resolute action' against monitoring group implementing UN sanctions
North Korea warned Monday that it will take "resolute action" after a South Korea-led monitoring group implementing UN sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs launched official activities.
The warning came after the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), established in October by 11 countries, including South Korea, the US and Japan, vowed to ensure the full implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea at the inaugural meeting last week of its steering committee, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.
Strange Bedfellows
Interesting to me: Japan and the ROK vote in favor (against the USA) and the DPRK votes against, with the US and Russia. https://t.co/sRIlyp6iOj
— Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) February 24, 2025
China demonstrated in exercises last year an ability to surround and isolate Taiwan, which Beijing intends to reclaim one day. China’s coast guard also spent a record 355 days in waters around the Senkaku Islands. Japan administers the small islets and rocks in the East China Sea, which are also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Iron Fist locations will include Camp Courtney and the Northern Training Area on Okinawa, Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield northwest of Okinawa and Japan’s Camp Naha, a spokesman with Japan’s Ground Staff Office said by phone Monday. Approximately 2,700 Marines and sailors and 1,300 Japanese troops will participate in Iron Fist, with observers from England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and the Philippines scheduled to attend, the spokesman said.
I heard an interview recently with Col MacGregor in which he discussed his views of war with China most of which I thought were sound. I disagree in part with one view he expressed, which essentially was that China couldn't possibly succeed with an invasion of Taiwan. It was simply too challenging an operation. I believe he compared invading Taiwan to the giant logistics effort required for the Normandy invasion. I've heard other experts on China's military disagree with this view before. Once, I saw Adm. Davison, I believe it was get up and leave a videotaped discussion after these same experts challenged his view of US dominance in the region. I'll just leave it at this, doing things on a large scale is what China does well. However, I agree with MacGregor that China isn't inclined to go to war in general terms, and probably won't invade Taiwan. I'd add one caveat "unless provoked by the US." They will defend their national security interests, and they are not about to let the US move it's forces back into Taiwan. imo
I have to post this twitter with pics of demonstrators supporting Yoon, complete with US flag, apparently being paid for their participation.
돈 몇만원에 나라팔고,
영혼까지 팔아먹는
바퀴벌레 같은 연놈들! pic.twitter.com/uNheGEX5dk— 서울의소리 Voice of Seoul News (@amnseoul) February 23, 2025
"Selling out their country; they'd sell their souls, those roach like bastards!"
The same applies to Mr. Ahn, the so called Captain America who was the source of the 96 Chinese spies story, fake news used to bolster justification for Yoon's martial law bid. The story is so convoluted and easily discredited, but his identity and role, is still not entirely clear. Police said he was a South Korean national not a US soldier, though he liked to impersonate one, and alternatively claim he was an agent working for the US. Falls into the category of readily deniable.
Ahn's "American style thinking," was noted in the Joongang report linked above. This is the guy who trespassed on the Chinese embassy and a police station trying to get attention. I guess his Captain America outfit wasn't conspicuous enough.
Comments
South Korea related.
I am not sure how many are of this persuasion but there is this.
That's a decent sized demo
...supporting Palestine, against the genocide in Gaza. I've seen some demos in Japanese videos, and earlier before the coup attempt in South Korea. By S.Korean standards they have been relatively small but still significant. I have to say, I think the issue has been overshadowed by the Yoon's coup attempt, and the relatively large demos by Yoon supporters who are called "insurrectionists." The latter actually pose an immediate domestic threat to democracy, so I think the focus of politically active people in South Korea is distracted currently. I myself am guilty of the same thing. I'm not looking for that issue when I go through both the South Korean independent media and established media, and my regular American sources on Asian news, so I haven't observed it lately.
Thanks for posting Humphrey.
語必忠信 行必正直