U.S. Reroutes Warships Toward Korean Peninsula in Show of Force

The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and other warships during an exercise last month in the Philippine Sea. The Vinson and three guided-missile destroyers and cruisers are now heading toward the Korean Peninsula. Credit Matt Brown/U.S. Navy        

WASHINGTON — The commander of American forces in the Pacific has ordered an aircraft carrier and several other warships toward the Korean Peninsula in a show of force by the Trump administration just days after North Korea tested another intermediate-range missile.

The officer, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., the head of the military’s Pacific Command, diverted the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and its wing of fighter jets from a planned series of exercises and port calls in Australia, the command said in a statement. The Vinson and three guided-missile destroyers and cruisers steamed out of Singapore on Saturday for their new mission in the Western Pacific.

Read the rest of the story on the NY Times website at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/09/world/asia/korean-peninsula-us-aircraft-carrier-north-korea.html

Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1 or CARSTRKGRU 1)

U.S. Navy carrier strike group. USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is the strike group's current flagship, and other units current assigned to Carrier Strike Group One include USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) NCPN c/s Revolution, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) NAWB, USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2,

CVW-2 Airwing deployed includes the following squadrons:

VFA-2  Bounty Hunters F/A-18F/NE c/s Bullet

VFA-34  Blue Blasters F/A-18C/NE c/s Joker

VFA-137  Kestrels F/A-18E/NE c/s Falcon

VFA-192  Golden Dragons F/A-18E/NE c/s Jury

VAW-113  Black Eagles E-2C 2000 c/s Eagle

VAQ-136  Gauntlets EA-18G/NE c/s Iron Crow

VRC-30 Det P roviders C-2A c/s Password

HSC-4  Black Knights MH-60S c/s Black Knights
HSM-78  Blue Hawks MH-60R c/s Blue Hawk

US Sending B-1 / B-52 Bombers to South Korea

President Donald Trump is sending nuclear bombers to the Korean peninsula as tensions in the region reach breaking point according to The Sun newspaper. US military chiefs are reportedly planning to fly in B-1 and B-52 bombers – built to carry nuclear bombs – to show America has had enough.

Story online at
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3049573/donald-trump-sends-b-52-nuclear-bombers-to-south-korea-after-north-fires-missiles-at-japan-and-us-warns-of-overwhelming-response/

Army Spy Plane Flying Missions on the Korean DMZ

US Army EO-5C Aircraft courtesy of The Aviationist (US Army Photo)

Mode-S ADS-B tracking and sharing is a really cool aspect of government/military aircraft monitoring. Again this morning it showed its worth when one of my twitter mil friends posted an intercept regarding N59AG flying up on the Korean DMZ. This isn't the first rodeo for that aircraft up there. In fact, they are regular visitors to that garden spot in the world. Disguised with a US civilian aircraft registration, the aircraft is a US Army EO-5C spy plane, one of three in the region.

Read more about these aircraft and their mission in Korea on The Aviationist website at
U.S. Army spyplane pops-up on Flightradar24 during mission south of the Korean DMZ

North Korea Missile Launches

A twitter friend has posted a fascinating audio file with Tokyo Aeradio on HF warning aircraft of the North Korean missile launches during the G20 conference in China.

https://soundcloud.com/metal57/05-09-16-tokyo

USSTRATCOM Detects, Tracks North Korean Missile Launch into Space

U.S. Strategic Command Public Affairs
2/6/2016

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. – U.S. Strategic Command systems detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch into space at 6:29 p.m. CST.

 

The missile was tracked on a southerly launch over the Yellow Sea.

 

NORAD determined that at no time was the missile a threat to North America.  The men and women of USSTRATCOM, NORAD AND USNORTHCOM, AND USPACOM remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security.

 

UPDATE 1 (Feb. 7, 2016): Initial observations from U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space, through its Joint Space Operations Center, following the launch of a North Korean missile into space, indicate two objects – NORAD catalog identification numbers 41332 and 41333 – are in orbit and at an inclination of 97.5 degrees. These observations are available on the publicly-available website Space-Track.org.

 

Note: An inclination of 97.5 means the object is rotating in the opposite direction of the Earth's rotation at a 97.5 degree angle from the Earth's equator, meaning the two objects are essentially orbiting over the poles.

 

UPDATE 2 (Feb. 8, 2016): The two objects U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space, through its Joint Space Operations Center, tracked following the launch of a North Korean missile into space – NORAD catalog identification numbers 41332 and 41333 – have been added to USSTRATCOM’s satellite catalog on the publicly-available website Space-Track.org. The object with NORAD catalog identification numbers 41332 is KMS 4, the payload. The object with NORAD catalog identification numbers 41333 is UNHA 3 R/B, the rocket body.

 

Report: North Korea Fires Four Short-Range Missiles

The South Koreans are reporting that North Korea fired off four short-range missiles today. "South Korea says North Korea has fired four suspected short-range missiles into its eastern waters," reports the Associated Press.

A Defense Ministry official said North Korea fired four projectiles believed to be short-range missiles with a range of more than 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) into the waters off its east coast. The official spoke anonymously citing department rules.

North Korea routinely conducts short-range missile tests but Thursday's launch came three days after South Korea and the U.S. began their annual military drills which Pyongyang calls a rehearsal for invasion. North Korea has recently eased tension by taking a series of conciliatory gestures toward South Korea..

North Korea Launches a Unha-3 and what into orbit?

North Korea successfully launched a Unha-3 three stage rocket on Wednesday from its west coast launch site. The rocket, which North Korea says put a weather satellite into orbit, has been labeled by the United States, South Korea and Japan as a test of technology that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting targets as far away as the continental United States.

"The satellite has entered the planned orbit," a North Korean television news reader clad in traditional Korean garb announced, after which the station played patriotic songs with the lyrics "Chosun (Korea) does what it says."

The Unha-3 rocket fired just before 9:49 a.m. local time (0049 GMT), and was detected heading south by a South Korean destroyer patrolling the Yellow Sea. Japanese officials said the first rocket stage fell into the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula; a second stage fell into the Philippine Sea hundreds of kilometers (miles) farther south.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), later confirmed that "initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit," the first time an independent body has verified North Korean claims.

USSTRATCOM statement on N-Korea launch
NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs
http://www.norad.mil/News/2012/121112b.html 
December 11, 2012

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command officials acknowledged today that U.S. missile warning systems detected and tracked the launch of a North Korean missile at 7:49 p.m. EST. The missile was tracked on a southerly azimuth. Initial indications are that the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea. The second stage was assessed to fall into the Philippine Sea. Initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit. At no time was the missile or the resultant debris a threat to North America.

North Korea's rocket launches

Dec 2012: North Korea launches three-stage rocket, says it successfully put a satellite into orbit; US defense officials confirm object in orbit.

Apr 2012: Three-stage rocket explodes just after take-off, falls into sea.

Apr 2009: Three-stage rocket launched; North Korea says it was a success, US says it failed and fell into the sea.

Jul 2006: North Korea test-fires a long-range Taepdong-2 missile; US said it failed shortly after take-off.

U.S. warships moving to monitor North Korea's planned rocket launch

A satellite image showing North Korea's Dongchang-ri missile launch site Photo: EPA/YONHAP/GOOGLE

Reuters is reporting that the United States is shifting warships into position to track and possibly defend against a planned North Korean rocket launch while urging Pyongyang to cancel its second such attempt this year, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command said on Thursday.

"It should seem logical that we'll move them around so we have the best situational awareness," he said. "To the degree that those ships are capable of participating in ballistic missile defense, then we will position them to be able to do that."The United States and many other countries view it as a test of a long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that would violate U.N. resolutions and further destabilize the Korean Peninsula. The North Korean launch attempt in April failed

Meanwhile in Japan, the order to destroy the missile should any part of it threaten to fall onto Japanese territory was issued after a meeting of the Security Council of Japan met in the morning and was informed that North Korea has begun has filling a fuel tank alongside the launch pad at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in preparation for the launch.

Japan has already deployed Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile batteries in Tokyo, as well as in Okinawa and at locations along the northern and eastern coasts facing the Korean Peninsula.

Three Japanese destroyers equipped with the advanced Aegis detect-and-destroy weapons system have been deployed in the Sea of Japan.

Pyongyang claims the launch is an attempt to put an earth-observation satellite into orbit. But analysts and foreign governments share the belief that the it is part of North Korea's development of long-range missiles.

The head of US forces in Japan, Lt. Gen. Salvatore Angelella, told reporters on Thursday that the launch threatens the stability of the region..

North Korea’s expected rocket trajectory

North Korea’s Unha-3 rocket, scheduled for launch next month, will drop to earth in two stages off the western coast of South Korea and to the east of Luzon Island in the Philippines, according to documents submitted by the country to the International Maritime Organization.

You can get more details on this piece of the story on the North Korea Tech website

DPRK Satellite Launch Attempt Announced for Next Month

From the ROK Yonhap News Agency:

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday that it will launch its indigenously built long-range missile, Kwangmyongsong-3, next month in celebration of the centenary of the birth of the North's late founding leader, Kim Il-sung, which falls on April 15.

"Kwangmyongsong-3, a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite, will be blasted off southward from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province between April 12 and 16, lifted by carrier rocket Unha-3," a spokesman for the North's Korean Committee for Space Technology said in a statement.

"A safe flight orbit has been chosen so that carrier rocket debris to be generated during the flight would not have any impact on neighboring countries... The DPRK will strictly abide by relevant international regulations and usage concerning the launch of scientific and technological satellites for peaceful purposes and ensure maximum transparency," said the spokesman, using the abbreviation of North's official name.

Pentagon Spokesman Discusses China, North Korea

By Karen Parrish, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - The jury is still out on China's apparent fifth-generation J-20 stealth aircraft, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said today.

"The J-20 stories, frankly, that I've seen over the past couple weeks ... have been a little over the top," Morrell said during a Pentagon news conference. He noted that reports of "successful testing" ignore the unknowns of the Chinese aircraft.

"What we know is that a plane that looks different than any other they produced, that they claim to be their J-20, had a short test flight when we were in Beijing," the press secretary said. "But we don't know, frankly, much about the capabilities of that plane."

The test flight occurred during Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' visit to China this month.

The J-20's engine capabilities and degree of stealth capability are among the unknowns, Morrell said, adding that the U.S. current and developing air fleet is more than equal to any possible Chinese challenge.

"That's why we have pursued not just the F-22, which we have in more than enough numbers to deal with any scenario involving China, but also the F-35, to the tune of nearly 2,500 planes," Morrell said.

Morrell said "given what little we know," of the Chinese aircraft, "I would just urge everybody to ... slow down a little bit on our characterizations of the J-20 at this point."

China's capabilities and North Korea's recent provocations make the question of U.S. force presence in the region an important one, Morrell said.

"In light of the threat that we see emanating ... from Pyongyang," he said, "we have said that we will do what is necessary to protect ourselves here as well as our forward-deployed forces [and] our allies, who we have security commitments to."

The United States has 28,500 troops on the Korean peninsula and more than 50,000 more in Japan, Morrell noted.

"And over the long-term lay-down of our forces in the Pacific, we are looking at ways to even bolster that, not necessarily in Korea and Japan, but along the Pacific Rim, particularly in Southeast Asia," he said.

Australia and Singapore may offer U.S. access to certain military facilities in the region, he said, adding, "Guam, obviously, would be the best example of us changing our lay-down and our footprint in the region, enhancing [our presence] in Southeast Asia."

Morrell said Gates' recent comments on the North Korean threat shouldn't be construed as applying immediately.

"I think what he said is they're becoming a direct threat to the United States," the spokesman said. "By that, he doesn't mean at this very moment. But given their pursuit of both the nuclear weapons and their ballistic-missile capabilities, he sees them being a direct threat not within five years, but sooner than that."

Morrell said that's why defense officials are working with China, Japan and others to impress on North Korea that "they've got to cut out this provocative behavior, the destabilizing behavior, and they've got to seriously reevaluate their pursuit of nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles."

Pentagon Channel Report on North Korea Attack

White House officials say they are in close contact with the Republic of Korea after North Korea launched an artillery attack Tuesday on an ROK island.

See a video report at: http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/?pid=FHtce9TwCuQc2jn44C__LPvbUoVWEsio

West Coast Korea Crisis Monitor Report

Our friend Brian Herbert on the SoCalMilcom group reported the following at 0913 UTC to the group:

"South Korean government refuses to comment on the situation. One media outlet is reporting North Korean naval vessels are moving towards South Korea. Well over 200 shells have hit South Korea now, one South Korean Marine has been killed. I have noticed an increase in encrypted RTTY traffic between 4-6 MHz. Im also hearing back to back EAMs on 4724 and two way traffic on 6739 but its too weak to make out whats being said. Residents of Pyongyang have fled the island and taken to the high seas so we might hear some related traffic on the ITU channels."

North Korea Attacks South Korea. Tensions High on the Peninsula!

North Korea Fires at South - North Korea shoots dozens of rounds of artillery onto a populated South Korean island, military officials say, setting buildings on fire and causing injuries; South Korea returns fire and scrambles fighter jets.

Yonhap News Agency - (URGENT) N. Korea's military command vows "merciless" military strike against S Korea.

AP Press Report - NKorea fires artillery onto SKorean island, 1 dead
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101123/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_clash

We will continue to watch this situation here at MMP and will be doing some frequency research for the region for posting here.

HOT SPOT DXING- Monitoring North and South Korea on shortwave radio

North Korea has responded to international condemnation of its nuclear test and a threat of new U.N. sanctions by saying it is no longer bound by an armistice signed with South Korea at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, in essence, we are now back at a state of war with North Korea.

For complete Shortwave Broadcast schedules for both North and South Korea, see our Shortwave Central Blog at http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2009/05/hot-spot-dxing-monitoring-north-and.html

See the Reuters story at
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-39913120090527

North Korea Threatens Armed Strike, End to Armistice, see Bloomberg story at
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=awBTCPe7S2gw&refer=worldwide

NKorea threatens to attack US, SKorean warships, see AP story at
htp://apnews.myway.com/article/20090527/D98EKAHG0.html

Pentagon Report on the North Korea Missile Test

A report from our Pentagon Bureau on North Korea's missile test.

North Korean Satellite Launch May Violate U.N. Rule, Mullen Says

By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday expressed concern over a possible North Korean satellite launch that could violate United Nations sanctions against nuclear testing by the government in Pyongyang.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said North Korea has threatened a launch as soon as next week, and added that U.S. ships today moved from Japanese ports toward the Korean peninsula.

North Korea reportedly has placed a Taepodong 2 missile at a launch facility in preparation for a launch. Pyongyang has stated the long-range missile is equipped with a commercial satellite and poses no danger, according to reports.

But Mullen said the launch would contravene U.N. Resolution 1718, a unanimous decision the U.N. Security Council reached in 2006 to block attempts by North Korea to employ such technology.

He added that it's unlikely the missile in question could reach U.S. territory, but it "works towards technology to do that," the admiral said.

Appearing on CNN today, Mullen showed imagery that he said depicts a North Korean missile with stacked boosters on a launch pad. He added that North Korean leader Kim Jong II has stated he is readying for a launch between April 4 and 8.

"There's an expectation that even though the North Koreans say this is a satellite launch, what is of most concern to us is we believe it violates [Resolution 1718]," Mullen said. "[It] says very clearly that the technology supporting the development of ballistic missiles is against that resolution no matter what they're packaging."

Mullen said the engineering, guidance and engines involved in the primed missile are identical to the kind of capabilities required in manufacturing a ballistic missile.

"Potentially, with where this could go long-term, [Jong] can develop a system that could actually target us," Mullen said, adding that any upcoming launch could be "very disturbing to the region."

N. Korea warns intercepting 'satellite' will prompt counterstrike+

PYONGYANG/BEIJING, March 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—North Korea warned Monday that any move to intercept what it calls a satellite launch and what other countries suspect may be a missile test-firing would result in a counterstrike against the countries trying to stop it.

"We will retaliate (over) any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counterstrikes by the most powerful military means," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army as saying.

If countries such as the United States, Japan or South Korea try to intercept the launch, the North Korean military will carry out "a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the countries, it said.

"Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war," it added.

North Korea earlier announced it is preparing to put a communications satellite into space, but outside observers suspect it may in fact be a test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have said that even if Pyongyang calls the launch a missile test, it would violate existing U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The same North Korean statement said the country's military will cut off communications with its South Korean counterparts during the U.S.- South Korean exercises for the duration of the exercises beginning Monday.

A separate, more rare statement by the KPA's Supreme Command was quoted by the KCNA as saying that its soldiers are under orders to be "fully combat-ready" during U.S.-South Korean military exercises beginning Monday.

The North's armed forces have been ordered to "deal merciless retaliatory blows" should there be any intrusion "into the sky and land and seas of the DPRK even an inch."

North Korea has demanded a stop to this month's U.S.-South Korean exercises, and said earlier it cannot guarantee the security of South Korean civilian airplanes flying through its territorial airspace while they are under way.

N. Korea threatens war if satellite is shot down

By JAE-SOON CHANG
Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea put its armed forces on standby Monday and threatened retaliation against anyone seeking to stop it from firing what regional powers fear will be a missile in the latest barrage of threats from the communist regime.

Pyongyang also cut off a military hot line with the South, causing a complete shutdown of their border and stranding hundreds of South Koreans working in an industrial zone in the North Korean border city of Kaesong.

See the complete story at http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96QFQDG0&show_article=1

U.S. Maintains Commitment to South Korean Security, Commander Says

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - The United States will provide South Korea missile defense against a "very real threat" from North Korea as the South Koreans boost their own ballistic defense capabilities, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said in a published report.

"The North Korean ballistic missile threat to [South Korea] and its allies is very real," Army Gen. Walter "Skip" Sharp said in a written interview published last week in The Korea Times, a daily, English-language newspaper published in South Korea. "They have 800 increasingly sophisticated missiles and have tested a missile that many think could reach the United States."

Because South Korea doesn't currently have a robust missile defense capability in place, the United States likely will provide it as a "bridging capability" until they do, Sharp said.

"In this regard, both [South Korea] and [the] U.S. would benefit greatly with interoperability and exchange of data between missile defense systems," he said. "We encourage [South Korea] to develop a layered and robust defense that provides protection at all levels."

Sharp's assurances came as Stephen W. Bosworth, the Obama administration's special envoy for North Korea, is slated to visit Seoul this weekend in an effort to restart the stalled Six-Party talks.

Those talks, which include North and South Korea, Russia, China and Japan, are viewed as critically important in light of wide speculation that North Korea may soon test fire a long-range ballistic missile.

Further flaming the situation is North Korea's recent statement that it cannot guarantee the security of civilian aircraft flying through its airspace during the upcoming Key Resolve-Foal Eagle exercises.

A United Nations Command delegation met today with North Korean army officers to help reduce mounting tensions on the peninsula.

Sharp emphasized the longstanding and unwavering U.S. commitment to South Korea, and said it will continue to provide capabilities needed to ensure the republic's defense.

"My top priorities as commander are to ensure we are ready to fight and win should we be called upon to do so in the defense of the Republic of Korea and to strengthen the alliance," he said. "That first priority has been the primary mission of the ... alliance for more than 55 years and will remain our top priority."

Sharp offered assurance that sending F-16 aircraft to Korea as a battalion of Korea-based Apache attack helicopters deploy to Afghanistan won't leave a security vacuum on the Korean peninsula.

"The key consideration for the F-16 deployment to Korea was ensuring there was no gap in capability when the Apaches departed," he said. "The F-16 is a highly capable aircraft that adds additional precision firepower to the ... alliance."

The F-16s can conduct a broad range of missions, including close-air support, precision strike and counter-air defense, he said. "So they add significant capability in several areas," he said.

Sharp said he would not rule out that the Apache battalion could return to South Korea when it's no longer needed to support the war on terror. But "there are no plans for that to take place at this time," he said.

The decision to normalize tours in Korea is a key initiative for strengthening the countries' alliance, Sharp said.

"Bringing our families over here strengthens the alliance in signaling our national commitment to the Republic of Korea," he said. "Tour normalization signals a strong and visible commitment by [the United States] to [South Korea], reaffirming our intention to remain here for the long-term."

Also key, Sharp said, is U.S. Forces Korea's Good Neighbor Program that encourages friendship and engagement between U.S. and South Korean citizens. This program helps forge "lifelong friendships at the family level" that personalize a national-level commitment, he said.

Tour normalization will require support from both countries to be successful, Sharp said. While the initiative is already being implemented, he said it will require additional housing, schools and other support facilities.

A longstanding bilateral cost-sharing agreement signed Jan. 15 will help move these efforts forward while supporting long-range alliance planning and the continuity of operations, he said.

Sharp conceded that numerous variables will affect the timeline for relocating U.S. forces to Pyeongtaek. "But we are making real progress in preparing for the future," he said.