. 24/7 Space News .
MISSILE DEFENSE
US, S. Korea, Japan start missile-tracking drill, irking China
by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) Dec 11, 2017


The US, South Korea and Japan carried out joint exercises Monday to track missiles from North Korea, as China warned that such manoeuvres fuel tensions following nuclear-armed Pyongyang's longest-range test launch to date.

The trilateral drill comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and declared it had achieved nuclear statehood, escalating global alarm over its weapons push.

The two-day exercise -- the sixth since June last year -- kicked off in waters near the Korean peninsula and Japan, Seoul's defence ministry said.

"During the drill, Aegis warships from each country will simulate detecting and tracking down potential ballistic missiles from the North and sharing information," it said in a statement.

Two US ships are taking part, with one each from the two Asian countries.

Both South Korea and Japan have security alliances with the US, although their own relationship is marred by disputes over history and territory.

Washington and Seoul staged their biggest-ever joint air drill last week in a show of force against the North, which is subject to multiple sets of UN sanctions over its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

The coalition has urged others to take a tougher stance against Pyongyang but has so far found lukewarm reactions from the North's main backers Beijing and Moscow.

China criticised the latest drills, which come as President Xi Jinping prepares to host South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In this week for a summit aimed at soothing ties strained by the US deployment of an anti-missile system in the South.

"The situation is in a vicious cycle of provocation and confrontation. This is not conducive to regional peace and stability," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.

"If such a vicious cycle continues and leads to a very bad result, it serves no party's interest," Lu said, echoing recent remarks by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Russia's top general Valery Gerasimov met Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera in Tokyo and reiterated that Moscow wanted to resolve the crisis via diplomacy.

"We believe that this issue should only be resolved through political and diplomatic means," Gerasimov was quoted as saying by the Russian defence ministry.

Exercises around North Korea "destabilise the situation", Gerasimov said, according to a Japanese defence ministry official.

Onodera, however, stressed Japan's position: "North Korea's nuclear and missile development are significant threats against the international community. I want us to cooperate over this problem."

China and Russia have called for a halt to such US-led drills in return for North Korean suspending its nuclear programme.

- Super-large heavy warhead -

Tension flared anew in the flashpoint peninsula after the November 29 launch of the Hwasong-15 ICBM, which the North claimed could deliver a "super-large heavy warhead" anywhere on the US mainland.

Many analysts suggest that the rocket is capable of reaching the US mainland but voiced scepticism that Pyongyang has mastered the advanced technology needed to allow the rocket to survive re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.

Last month's launch was the first test of any kind since September 15, and quashed hopes that the North may have held back in order to open the door to a negotiated solution to the nuclear standoff.

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has traded threats of war and personal insults with US President Donald Trump, heightening fears of another conflict on the peninsula once devastated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The South imposed new unilateral sanctions on its neighbour on Monday.

Pyongyang regularly condemns joint exercises by the US and its neighbours as preparations for war.

jhw-hih-as-lth/amz

MISSILE DEFENSE
Japan plans long-range missiles amid N. Korea threat: minister
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 8, 2017
Japan plans to purchase offensive air-to-surface missiles to counter North Korea's rising military threat, its defence minister said Friday, a move likely to stir debate over its decades-long pacifist policy. Itsunori Onodera said the ministry intends to request a special budget for the fiscal year starting April 2018 to purchase long-range cruise missiles deployed on fighter jets. Accor ... read more

Related Links
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MISSILE DEFENSE
Tech titans ramp up tools to win over children

Aerospace and Mitchell Institute release new report on policy needs for space operations

UAE launches programme to send astronauts into space

China pushed global patent filings to record high in 2016: UN

MISSILE DEFENSE
SpaceX's Elon Musk to launch his own car into deep space

ISRO eyes one rocket launch a month in 2018

Russia to build launch pad for super heavy-lift carrier by 2028

Flat-Earther's self-launch plan hits a snag

MISSILE DEFENSE
EU exempts fuel for ExoMars mission from Russian sanctions

Mars Rover Team's Tilted Winter Strategy Works

Brown: Clay on Mars May Have Formed in Primordial Steam Bath

Winter wanderings put Opportunity at 28 Miles on the odometer

MISSILE DEFENSE
Nation 'leads world' in remote sensing technology

China plans for nuclear-powered interplanetary capacity by 2040

China plans first sea based launch by 2018

China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020

MISSILE DEFENSE
New business incubators will help space industry grow

Regulation and compliance for nontraditional space missions

Orbital ATK purchase by Northrop Grumman approved by shareholders

UK space launch program receives funding boost from Westminster

MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia says 'satellite' could have caused radioactive pollution

NASA Selects Three Companies to Develop 'FabLab' Prototypes

US has lost dominance in highly intense, ultrafast laser technology to Europe and Asia

Army taps Northrop Grumman for new radar risk reduction work

MISSILE DEFENSE
Two Super-Earths around red dwarf K2-18

A New Spin to Solving Mystery of Stellar Companions

The CHEOPS scientific instrument is complete

Discovery about rare nitrogen molecules offers clues to makeup of life-supporting planets

MISSILE DEFENSE
Wrapping up 2017 one year out from MU69

Jupiter Blues

Research bolsters possibility of plate tectonics on Europa

Pluto's hydrocarbon haze keeps dwarf planet colder than expected









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.