generalspeaking

The Global Thugs' Club

"[Russia has been] cheating at its arms control obligations [under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]."
"Our nations have a choice. We either bury our head in the sand or we take common sense action in response to Russia's flagrant disregard for the expressed terms of the INF Treaty."
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, NATO talks

"Meng Wanzhou, Huewei's chief financial officer, is set to appear in court Friday in Vancouver for a bail hearing after being arrested at the city's airport on Saturday while changing planes. She faces extradition to the United States on unspecified charges.":
"U.S. prosecutors have been investigating since 2016 whether Huawei violated U.S. export and sanctions laws by shipping U.S.-origin products to Iran [under U.S. sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs]."
Anna Fifield, Beijing

"Construction on the previously unidentified site has continued even after the Singapore summit."
"Whatever Kim says about his desire for denuclearization, North Korea continues to produce and deploy nuclear armed missiles."
"Satellite images show that the base remains active. Moreover, in the past year North Korea has significantly expanded a nearby facility that appears to be another missile base."
"Those missiles are being deployed at bases throughout North Korea, many of which have long been known to outside analysts. Any denuclearization agreement would require North Korea to allow international inspectors to determine that these units are no longer armed with nuclear weapons."  
"The Trump Administration has publicly promised to secure access to North Korea military facilities as part of any agreement."

"Up through the valley there are a pair of hardened 'drive-through' shelters that were covered with soil and had trees planted on them to disguise them. In front of the pair of drive throughs, there is a concrete pad that was also covered in dirt."

"There are five entrances to underground tunnels that may be used to store missiles."

"Around 2010, North Korea constructed a pair of large drive-throughs suitable for large ballistic missiles. These shelters are similar to the ones seen at the older portion of the Yeongjeo-dong base."

Jeffrey Lewis and David Schmerler , Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California

Satellite images reveal that North Korea has significantly expanded a key long-range missile base located in the mountainous interior of the country   CNN

The United States is back in business big time as the world's sheriff keeping track of the covert actions and plans of the world's rogue states; Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. No end of incidents to roil the international community, no end of threats to be concerned about and keep tabs on requiring efforts at mediation and if that doesn't work and it rarely does, sanctions and shaming. Yet neither shaming nor sanctions appear to be truly effective since those against whom these methods are brought in the hope of bringing them into line with international covenants don't really care what they're thought of, so it appears evident that surveillance, vigilance and counter-threats are all that is left.

Ukraine is concerned that the Russian Federation is preparing to mount a ground invasion; it sacrificed three of its military vessels in an effort to test Moscow's resolve in restricting sea passage through the Crimean Peninsula and it now faces the prospect of a reduced military capability should the worst case scenario erupt. NATO, which has assured eastern Europe and Russia's closest neighbours that it has a vested interest as well as a moral imperative to come to their aid is stymied in response to Ukraine's need since it isn't a NATO country and the risk of initiating what would turn out to be a world-class conflict is attractive to no one.

Iran's ongoing testing of its own ballistic missiles program, along with the very real problem of its ongoing nuclear research despite the nuclear agreement it reached so beloved of the European Union that it is prepared to offset American sanctions against Iran for reasons that should be concerning to all of civil society in its incitement and support of terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi Shiites in Yemen are being breached by aid of the EU and through China; even temporarily for a six-month grace period by Japan and South Korea buying Iranian oil.


And here is North Korea once again covertly expanding a key long-range missile base in a remote mountainous area of the country, irrespective of its 'commitments' arising from talks with the United States including face-to-face sessions between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Nuclear disarmament was the goal, just as it is with Iran. China runs interference on behalf of North Korea, just as the European Union is doing for Iran, and Iran and North Korea exchange between them technological advances, sharing data and training for their scientists.

Satellite images showing the placement of the underground bases have been published by CNN as evidence that the Yeongjeo-dong missile base is active, discussions and protestations of compliance between Trump and Kim aside. And alongside the existing base is another unreported, a site that is active and upgraded. Though U.S. intelligence has long been aware of the Yeongjeo-dong site, it took researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies to reveal the construction at a new facility 11 kilometres distance from the existing one and previously not identified.

Speculation has it that the function of the bases is as shelters for mobile missile launchers where the country's newest long-range missiles would be stored, including those with the capability of carrying nuclear warheads. This, despite the North having officially suspended its nuclear and missile tests ahead of the June summit between Kim and Trump as a 'goodwill' gesture. The theatrics of blowing up a nuclear installation within a mountain which had already collapsed was a quite transparent move at mollifying Trump in assuring him of North Korea's sincere desire to meet American demands.

North Korea's foreign minister travelled to Beijing to conduct talks there in the midst of standstill efforts persuading his government to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs. As North Korea's most vital economic and political backer China has ostensibly agreed to economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations to pressure Kim's abandonment of the drive to develop nuclear weapons and the ballistic missile delivery systems.

Labels: Ballistic Missiles, China, European Union, Iran, North Korea, Nuclear Technology, Russia, Terrorism, United States

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, December 08, 2018