Welcome to the Milcom Monitor Post sponsored by Teak Publishing (Copyright © 2006-2023 Teak Publishing). All rights are reserved. Redistribution of these pages in any format without prior permission is prohibited. Links to individual stories are permitted without permission. The comment section on this blog is closed, but you can pass along material or comments via email MilcomMP at gmail dot com. If you submit material for this blog and want to remain anonymous, indicate that in your message.
Milcom Monitoring Post Profiles
- Home
- What are Emergency Action Messages (EAM)? Updated 20 September 2021
- UFO Milsat Program
- Fleetsatcom System
- UHF 225-380 MHz Milcom Spectrum Holes: Updated 24 July 2019
- Civilian Air Cargo/Airline/Military Call Signs
- Intl HF Aero Civ/Gov/Mil Frequency List
- USN Aircraft Modex Numbers
- University of Twente Wide Band WebSDR Netherlands
- U.S. Military ALE Addresses
- DoD Air Refueling Frequencies - Update 15 Jul 2016
- COTHEN HF Network – Last Update 23 May 2023
- Monitoring the Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary Update 10 Sep 2016
- US Coast Guard Asset Guide - Update 24 May 2023
- The Spectrum Monitor e-Zine Milcom Column Index - Update 17 January 2022
- The Milcom MT Files (1998-2013) Articles Index
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Mullen: North Korea's Unpredictability Endangers Region
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON - The only thing predictable about the North Korean regime is its unpredictability, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a television broadcast today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told CNN today that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is trying to assure the transition of leadership to his son, Kim Jong-un. He implied that the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan in March and the artillery strikes on Yeongpyeong Island on Nov. 23 are part of that process.
Mullen called the North Korean leader belligerent and dangerous.
"He is consistently destabilizing and is only predictable in his unpredictability," the admiral said. "He galvanizes everyone around with the potential that they could go to war with South Korea."
North Korea is on a path to develop nuclear weapons, and the artillery strikes on Yeongpyeong Island are latest sign of his continued belligerence, he said.
Kim Jong-il reportedly cited South Korea's recent military exercises with the United States as a reason for the artillery strike.
However, the Hoguk series of exercises that began earlier this month in South Korea and include 70,000 South Korean troops, have been long planned, Mullen said. Exercises built around the USS George Washington carrier battle group in the Yellow Sea began today. Both sets of exercises are built around deterrence, in response to the sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.
"It focuses on security in the Yellow Sea particularly in respect to submarine warfare," he said. "It is meant to send a very strong signal of deterrence and also to work with close allies in South Korea.
"I don't think this will be the last exercise," he added. "This is a part of the world that we've exercised in for decades and we will continue."
South Korea and the United States are focused on restraint and not letting the situation get out of control, the admiral said. "The South Koreans, so far, have responded that way," he said. "Nobody wants this thing to turn into a conflict."
China is also urging restraint and Chinese leaders probably are the only people who can exert influence on North Korea, Mullen said.
"The Chinese certainly were involved with the response at the United Nations after the sinking of the Cheonan," he said. "The North Koreans were taken aback by the strength of that response from China. We think it is important for the international community to lead, but in particular, China.
"It's a very dangerous area when [Kim] does this. It destabilizes the region, and China has as much to lose as anybody."