#North Korea missile attacks

[tsrupdates]

After detecting 180 North Korean warplanes north of the border South Korea scrambles jets amid tension

South Korea's military said after detecting about 180 North Korean warplanes flying north of the military border over four hours on Friday, it scrambled fighter jets.

[k-s-morgan]

I in no way mean to be disrespectful, I hope you and your family are doing well and I’m so sorry for the recent attacks. I’m just ignorant and want to know what would happen if Ukraine surrendered to Russia?

I hope you are safe from bombing and air raids 🙏🙏

Hi! Thank you <3 And don't worry, that's a good question.

What I'm 100% sure would happen in case of Ukraine's surrender, even under the most optimistic scenario:

We'd have to give up the entire country, not just a part of it. Russia always comes back for more. It's been following the same pattern with different countries forever. With Ukraine, it got a pretty decent chunk back in 2014. That land continued to belong to Ukraine on paper only - in reality, it was fully under Russian control, and no one really fought for it any longer. Was Russia satisfied with it? No. It kept preparing and then attacked to overtake even more land. It will never have enough, so to give up now means to acknowledge that the entire Ukraine will cease to exist as a country, whether right away or after Russia starts another war against us.

Ukrainian language, culture, and heritage would be destroyed completely in the coming years. Our history - and the history of the world children are taught - will be re-written. There is a reason why the majority of countries that were a part of USSR speak primarily Russian. Russia keeps carefully erasing other languages and culture, it's been doing it for ages. It's doing it right now on the occupied territories.

Pro-Ukrainian activists and people of note would be persecuted, kidnapped, tortured, and killed. This is also a pattern, it happens everywhere Russia invades. I know many examples personally.

We'd be gradually cut off of the outside world. Like, Russia has banned major fanfiction sites; it's trying to block YouTube and other platforms. The transformation into a semblance of North Korea would be inevitable.

Ukrainians would be treated as third-rate non-humans on their own territory. Again, it's been happening everywhere Russia barges into.

Ukraine would be used as a military base to attack other countries, and Ukrainians would be forced to become Russian soldiers.

As for the rest, it could go in several ways. Maybe Russia would want to show how 'amazing' it is, so it'd turn Kyiv into a second Moscow, creating different well-paid positions and opportunities to suck up to Kyiv residents and to prove its hypocritical benevolence.

On the other hand, it could just as well turn the entire country into a concentration and extermination camp. Russia has been torturing, raping, degrading, and murdering our people everywhere. Stealing their homes, kidnapping children, etc. and etc. I have a huge number of friends, people I know, or their friends who shared their stories, and each of them has been absolutely horrific.

My Mom's colleague, for example, used to live near Bachmut. When Russians came in, they immediately began to hunt down anyone related to the police and the military and killing them or actually demanding ransom for them. They kidnapped this colleague's friends, a married couple, kept them in a dog's kennel, pissed on them, beat them up, and raped the wife repeatedly. At that point, the colleague managed to flee the area, and she has no idea as to what happened to them afterward.

This could very well be the fate of our country in case of our surrender since the world obviously doesn't care and wouldn't bat an eye at the millions suffering and dying, kind of like it's happening now.

So surrendering is dangerous because we might cease to exist, but perhaps we are just prolonging the inevitable. A tiny country with a pathetic level of support cannot win against a giant that has a ton of everything and whose allies keep sending it even more weapons of destruction. Oh, and let's not forget how Russia keeps producing more and more weapons because the US and EU keep selling it the parts it needs for missiles and other stuff, and how Ukraine, after seemingly getting help from these US and EU, is forbidden to use it to strike Russia back.

It's all a joke to everyone but us, so I honestly don't envision a positive outcome at all. In the end, as long as our heroes are determined to defend Ukraine, we'll keep trying to hold on. The future will show what it'll lead us to.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lauren Gambino at The Guardian:

Joe Biden has signed into law a bill that rushes $95bn in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, a bipartisan legislative victory he hailed as a “good day for world peace” after months of congressional gridlock threatened Washington’s support for Kyiv in its fight to repel Russia’s invasion. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the measure in a 79 -18 vote late on Tuesday night, after the package won similarly lopsided approval in the Republican controlled House, despite months of resistance from an isolationist bloc of hardline conservatives opposed to helping Ukraine. “It’s going to make America safer. It’s going to make the world safer,” Biden said, in remarks delivered from the White House, shortly after signing the bill.

“It was a difficult path,” he continued. “It should have been easier and it should have gotten there sooner. But in the end, we did what America always does. We rose to the moment, came together, and we got it done.” The White House first sent its request for the foreign aid package to Congress in October, and US officials have said the months-long delay hurt Ukraine on the battlefield. Promising to “move fast”, Biden said the US would begin shipping weapons and equipment to Ukraine within a matter of hours. Biden admonished “Maga Republicans” for blocking the aid package as Ukrainian soldiers were running out of artillery shells and ammunition as Iran, China and North Korea helped Russia to ramp up its aerial assault on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Rejecting the view that Ukraine is locked in an unwinnable conflict that has become a drain on US resources, Biden hailed Ukraine’s army as a “fighting force with the will and the skill to win”. But the president also pressed the case that supporting Ukraine was in the national security interest of the US.

[...] In an effort to attract Republican support, the security bill includes a provision that could see a nationwide ban on TikTok. The House also added language mandating the president seek repayment from Kyiv for roughly $10bn in economic assistance in the form of “forgivable loans”, an idea first floated by Donald Trump, who has stoked anti-Ukraine sentiment among conservatives. Although support for the package was overwhelming, several Democrats have expressed their concern with sending Israel additional military aid as it prosecutes a war that has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and plunged the territory into a humanitarian crisis. Three progressive senators, Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, voted against the bill for its inclusion of military support to Israel.

On Wednesday, Biden called the aid to Israel “vital”, especially in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented aerial assault on the country. Israel, with help from the US, UK and Jordan, intercepted nearly all of the missiles and drones and there were no reported fatalities. The attack had been launched in retaliation against an Israeli strike on an Iranian consular site in Syria. “My commitment to Israel, I want to make clear again, is ironclad,” Biden said. “The security of Israel is critical. I will always make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and terrorists who it supports.” Biden’s abiding support for Israel’s war in Gaza has hurt his political standing with key parts of the Democratic coalition, especially among young people. As he spoke, students at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities were demonstrating against the war. Biden emphasized that the bill also increases humanitarian assistance to Gaza, touting his administration’s efforts to pressure Israel to allow more aid into the devastated territory. But House Republicans added a provision to the bill prohibiting funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Unrwa, a “lifeline for the Palestinian people in Gaza” that Israel has sought to disband.

President Biden signed a foreign aid package worth $95BN containing foreign aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel and provisions to a TikTok ban.

The good: Ukraine and Taiwan funding. The bad: TikTok ban and Israel funding.

See Also:

Vox: Ukraine aid and a potential TikTok ban: What’s in the House’s new $95 billion bill

[girlactionfigure]

🟠 IDF ATTACKS MISSILE DEPOT / HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS KATRIN - MORNING NEWS

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( VIDEO 1 - IDF strike(s) Hezbollah weapons warehouses in Baalbek, northeast Lebanon. )

( VIDEO 2 - HOME hit by Hezbollah rocket in Katzrin, Golan Heights. )

⚠️(6:30) Warnings to Golan towns and Katzrin to remain close to protected spaces, minimize gatherings, etc.

♦️IDF DEEP ATTACKS (4) ON HEZBOLLAH.. in Baalbek, northeast Lebanon, hitting surface-to-surface ballistic missile depots.

▪️NASTY HAMAS PROPAGANDA ATTACK..  threatening messages and calls received by families of hostages - some from the phone numbers of their loved ones (via taken phones).  Messages sent by Hamas and Iran per the Defense Ministry. ,The messages included threats such as: if you don't fight you won't see your loved one, or demands to pay a ransom in exchange for information.

▪️AVNEI HEFETZ UNDER FIRE.. Avnei Hefetz is a Jewish town in Samaria near Tulkarm.  Fatah's Khalli al-Aqsa takes responsibility for gunfire at the town, many rounds of attacks.

▪️TERROR ATTACK THWARTED.. Police just reported this event from 2 weeks ago: by the Gilon intersection Route 85, terror-minors set up with Molotov cocktails at 4:30 AM.  Spotted by police, arrested.

▪️SIREN TESTS.. Moshav Shadi Hamad, Moshav Mishmatar, Matan and Nirit from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  In upgraded tests, some of these tests are regular up-down alert sounds with Home Front soldiers stationed around the area to register siren sound levels.

▪️PROTEST - ANTI-CONSCRIPTION - JERUSALEM.. by Shaarei Yisroel street.  Large police forces present.  Charedi anti-draft protest.

⭕50 ROCKET BARRAGE by HEZBOLLAH - GOLAN.. Katzrin area, several HITS including on a home in Katzrin, man injured.  Katzin is a small city, the population is NOT evacuated.

⭕ATTEMPTED MINE LAYING BLOWS UP.. in Temon, by Tubas, as it was being buried to attack the IDF.

⭕SHIA MILITIAS IRAQ (Iranian proxies) SAYS ATTACKED EILAT.. via suicide drones.  No such arrival of attack reported.

♦️COUNTER-TERROR OPS.. overnight in Shechem, and Shawika.

🔸DEAL NEWS.. Fox News reporter says Hamas sent him the points of dispute (in a PowerPoint presentation):

-The Philadelphi (Egypt border) Corridor (as in, who controls it, the IDF inspecting it)

-The Netzarim route (divides Gaza) (as in, the IDF manning in and preventing the free movement of Gazans and terrorists)

-Inspection of displaced civilians returning to northern Gaza (which might include hostages! And terrorists!  And rockets!)

-Changes to the hostage/prisoner exchange details (Hamas demands the most senior biggest mass murderers be freed, and first).

-Tying aid/reconstruction to acceptance of other conditions (they demand reconstruction BEFORE even releasing hostages).

.. President Biden: Blinken - "We must bring the deal to the finish line.  The United States will not accept Israel's long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip.”

.. At the end of his visit to Doha, US Sec State Blinken sent a message to Netanyahu: It is important that the negotiating teams working on the details of the agreement have "maximum flexibility" so that we can reach a deal.  (Note he is not hassling Hamas, who has refused to send delegates in person.)

.. Politico: Senior US officials say the ceasefire deal is on the verge of collapse.

🇺🇸Not Israel related:  In March President Biden ordered US forces to prepare for possible nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea.

[pixeljade]

I do keep seeing posts that say "whys Joe even funding Israel except that he loves Genocide" or "Why is there discussion of leaving NATO in the senate survey" and like. Here. Let me explain this to you. (DISCLAIMER: I hate Joe Biden I'm just doing this because understanding your opponents motivations makes it so you can more effectively fight them)

When you're President, issues are not just single simple issues. Theres a shitton of moving parts, and he cant be obvious about his awareness of all these parts for transparency's sake because that also gives his enemies (which would include those of us who want Both Parties Gone) an upper hand. Joe Biden views Israel as a necessary US base of operation in the middle east to defend the USA in case of an attack by China and (more pressing lately) Russia.

See, with Russia attacking Ukraine, Ukraine is thinking of joining NATO as a means of better defending itself. They've been talking about it for ages but really started getting the ball rolling when Putin attacked. NATO is a treaty organization which, if Ukraine does join, all the other members of NATO would be forced to come to its aid (i.e., literally all of them would be considered At War With Russia). On top of this, Russia has strong allies with a lot of anti-USA powers, including China. I wouldnt even be surprised if North Korea shows up. If this is starting to ring bells relating to the world wars in history class, good, because thats exactly what this scenario would entail. Another, open world war. Yes people scream 'world war 3' over the tiniest provocation but its just as foolish to claim its impossible. Add in that Putin has said he will gladly use nukes if he has to, and...well. you can put two and two together. It wont be a pretty picture.

Anyways, the middle east is, and has been, a central point in our proxy wars against Russia for ages. This is both because of the resources (oil) there, as well as its potential as a strong base of defense for the west against the east. Israel in particular is USA's biggest military defense resource, as they have a shit-ton of anti-ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities. Simply put, they serve as a bulwark against the forces of the east. They're also one of the biggest deterrants against all-out world war; because if anyone DOES try to send a nuke out west, we'll just blow it up before it hits us and then have Israel nuke them back, with far less time to defend.

So lets put ourselves in Joe's shoes knowing all of this. It starts to feel a bit like he HAS to keep giving Israel what they want in order to prevent world war 3 and/or nuclear holocaust, huh? This should also clarify why he said "If there were not an Israel in the middle east we would have to make one", and why he reportedly is very upset with all the Palestinean death yet still gives Israel weapons. Its a shitty appeasement tactic with an eye on global politics. (Side note: astute readers may also note that the actions regarding China are part of this, including the tik tok ban. They are correct.)

But does this make his actions correct? Fuck no. As many have noted Israel wouldnt even be able to continue existing without assistance from America, and Israel would likely be the first place to be destroyed by Russia if they seek to win, if it were weakened sufficiently. Meaning Joe could EASILY turn the tables on Israel and threaten to (or actually) cut them off and say "Fine, if you want to go that way then enjoy the hellfire that comes for us all, chuck." He could also decide to start rebuilding relations with China despite our differences, and therefore deprive Russia of allies in the world war 3 scenario. He could also build up these same defense systems in another middle eastern allied country (which I'd be against because colonialism is part of the problem). And that's simply taking it from the perspective of Joe, I, personally, do not think that America should remain in its current form. It has far more blood on its hands than just the Palestinean blood, and its destruction (preferably without nukes) could allow better things to take root.

Anyways, like I said, this is so that we might better defeat our enemies, so if you're wondering what the implications here are, I'd say start getting involved in politics at a local level. Not just protests, go to city council meetings! Its mostly boring stuff but once you get a hold on what it all means (and you will!) You'll start to see ways to shift the American culture away from this war-dependent fascistic society which has been surging so terrifyingly. You will start to see the glimmers of hope which shine through the sludge that it is American Politics.

Anyways if someone says this is a pro-Biden post im going to stab you with a million knives.

[usafphantom2]

Agile Combat Employment and Response to North Korean Nuclear Strike Among Ulchi Freedom Shield 24 Exercise’s Highlights

Ulchi Freedom Shield 24 will see the participation of 200 aircraft, including South Korean F-15Ks, FA-50s, and KF-16s and US F-16s and A-10s, which are expected to fly more than 2,000 sorties around the clock.

Parth Satam

Ulchi Freedom Shield 24

A ROKAF F-15K Slam Eagle, assigned to the 11th Fighter Wing at Daegu Air Base, takes off for a mission on Aug. 20, 2024. (Image credit: ROKAF)

This year’s edition of the joint South Korea and the U.S annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which kicked off on Aug. 19, 2024 has a lot of firsts. Among the most notable is the rehearsal, for the first time, of the response to a North Korean nuclear strike against South Korea.

An interesting feature is the practice of ACE (Agile Combat Employment) operations by the 8th and 51st Fighter Wings of the U.S. Air Force as well as the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force) units. South Korean reports also said the air combat component will see what has been defined as the largest ever number of sorties planned, reportedly 2,000, around the clock.

More than 200 South Korean and US aircraft will participate. The US’ 8th Fighter Wing based at Kunsan Air Base and 51st FW at Osan Air Base announced their integration into the exercise, saying they incorporated the recurring wing readiness exercises into Ulchi Freedom Shield 24. The ROKAF will reportedly participate with the 11th, 16th and 20th Fighter Wings, which are equipped with F-15K, FA-50 and KF-16 jets.

Other goals include countering North Korea’s missile and cyber threats in 40 different kinds of field exercises, which will last until Aug. 29. The drills will also include unspecified computerized simulations components.

The Chosun Daily mentioned that “this year’s drill, for the first time, includes government response training for a hypothetical North Korean nuclear attack.” The report further added that “the primary focus of this year’s exercise is to master specific response measures in the event of a North Korean nuclear strike.”

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 51st Fighter Wing, takes off using an Alternate Landing Surface (ALS) at Osan AB, Republic of Korea, Aug. 1, 2023. (Image credit: USAF/Staff Sgt. Thomas Sjoberg)

The ROK and the U.S. Air Forces will undertake “120 hours of continuous day and night sorties for 5 days” for multi-domain missions, according to an automated translation of a video released by Yu Yungwon TV. The aircraft will practice both Defensive Counter Air missions, as well as air interdiction, with virtually simulated targets including cruise missiles and high-speed aircraft.

About 19,000 South Korean military personnel will participate in the drills, which will be held alongside civil defense and evacuation drills. The exercise will “reflect realistic threats across all domains,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff was quoted by DW.

The U.S. stations around 28,500 troops in the ROK. The UFS 24 exercise also comes after US and Allies, including the ROK, Japan and Australia, wrapped up the annual Pacific Dragon 24 exercises, which also saw the firing of the ship-launched Standard Missile-series.

8th Fighter Wing

Saying that it has begun integrating into the UFS 24, the 8th FW, also known as the “Wolf Pack” and equipped with the F-16CM Block 40, mentioned it will conduct local flying and ACE (Agile Combat Employment) operations at forward locations to increase interoperability with mission partners in realistic combat scenarios. “These scenarios directly support the exercise’s focus on conducting multi-domain operations leveraging component assets, emphasizing countering weapons of mass destruction,” added the press release.

“It is imperative to link the Wolf Pack with the operational level of command,” said the 8th FW commander, Col. Peter Kasarkis. “These connections do not happen automatically and must be rehearsed. Exercises such as Ulchi Freedom Shield provide the sandbox to allow us to continuously improve.”

Additionally, the Wolf Pack is “testing its wing’s readiness, including its ability to support follow-on forces and defend the base against regional threats.” The commander further added that “participation in these exercises builds a more combat-ready force, better able to meet any challenge in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The 8th FW had also publicized its ACE practices during the Beverly Pack 24-1 held between May 7-9, 2024, which saw “67 airmen deployed to Gwangju Air Base” to “operate in unfamiliar locations at a moment’s notice.” The press release added that “the exercise challenged the wing’s retrieval, refueling, and aircraft launch capabilities while advancing Airmen’s knowledge and skills to effectively generate airpower across the Indo-Pacific region.”

ACE essentially means operating out of austere locations, airfields with minimal supporting and technical infrastructure in order to spread out from the larger bases that are likely to come under a sudden adversary missile barrage. An extension of ACE is Dynamic Force Employment where bombers or fighters quick movement of forces, and the ability to operate soon after reaching the deployed location and perform their mission.

Senior Airmen Dawson Leake, 80th Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief, provides preventative maintenance on a F-16 Fighting Falcon at Gwangju Air Base, Republic of Korea, May 7, 2024. (Image credit: USAF/Staff Sgt. Samuel Earick)

51st Fighter Wing

The 51st FW at Osan Air Base, meanwhile, is incorporating its recurring wing readiness exercise into UFS 24 for the first time in recent history. Similarly to the 8th FW, the 51st FW will also conduct local flying and ACE operations to not only enhance local wing readiness, but also reinforce U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Forces Korea’s command-and-control training efforts.

The Wing, Seventh Air Force and the U.S. Forces Korea will “engage in contingency response exercises, training on mobilization and force deployment capabilities while simultaneously rehearsing the protection and sustainment of base operations,” said the press release. But the highlight would be aircraft and personnel mobilizing and operating “out of a co-operating base location in the Republic of Korea, further enhancing the wing’s ability to execute the mission in an unfamiliar environment at a moment’s notice.”

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 80th Fighter Squadron takes-off during Beverly Pack 24-1 at Gwangju Air Base, Republic of Korea, May 7, 2024. (Image credit: USAF/Staff Sgt. Samuel Earick)

Korean Reports

Yu Yongwon TV meanwhile released footage of ROKAF F-15Ks, FA-50s and KF-16s being serviced by ground crew and taking off during day and night-time sorties. The video said the ROKAF and the U.S.A.F will fly “120 hours of continuous day and night sorties for 5 days, strengthening wartime operational capabilities,” with a total of “2,000 sorties, the largest ever.” Interestingly, there were no mention of the ROKAF F-35’s participation.

The 200 aircraft participating include F-15Ks, FA-50s, and KF-16s of the 11th, 16th, and 20th Fighter Wings of the ROK Air Force, the F-16s and A-10s of the 51st Fighter Wing and the F-16s of the 8th FW of the U.S. Air Force. “This is the first time that multiple ROK and US Air Force squadrons have simultaneously conducted 24-hour live flight training for multi-domain missions,” said the reports.

Missions like Defensive Counter Air (DCA), Air Interdiction (AI) and Airborne Alert Interdiction (X-INT) are mentioned among the missions that will be conducted to ensure the absence of gaps in the air defense posture during the day and night. “This training is characterized by maximizing response capabilities. If an aircraft conducting defensive counter air training receives an order similar to a real situation, it will immediately switch to combat surveillance and perform it,” said the report.

This suggests the retasking during the flights, where fighters switch from one type of mission to another. “Virtual enemy formation will be deployed to simulate high-speed aircraft infiltration and cruise missile launches,” said the report, further adding that the training for “air units to support air operations” would involve “mass ammunition assembly, maximum armament loadout, and emergency return and re-departure.”

About Parth Satam

Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.

@TheAviationist.com

[beardedmrbean]

North Korea has issued a fresh nuclear warning to the U.S. over its activities on the Korean Peninsula, interpreting them as rehearsals for an armed conflict.

The statement, issued by Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry, was in response to ongoing bilateral military exercises involving South Korea and the U.S.

On Monday, state-run news agency KNCA released a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry taking aim at exercise "Ulchi Freedom Shield," which it called "large-scale provocative joint military exercises."

"The current exercises, including a drill simulating a nuclear confrontation with the DPRK, bring to light clearer the provocative nature of Ulji Freedom Shield as a prelude to a nuclear war," the ministry said.

Newsweek has contacted the United States Indo-Pacific Command for comment on North Korea's claims.

On Monday, the US began its annual joint military drills with South Korea, with this year's exercises focused on improving their capabilities to deal with growing threats posed by North Korea.

The drills, set to continue through August 29, will involve over 40 types of field exercises, as well as drills intended to simulate missile attacks, GPS jamming and cyberattacks.

According to a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, quoted by Reuters, the alliance's bilateral exercises will also "further strengthen its capability and posture to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction."

However, Pyongyang said that these defensive exercises resemble the historical behavior of countries preparing for conflict, and accused the two states of rehearsing a "beheading operation" against the Kim Jong Un regime.

"It is clearly recorded in the world history of wars that in preparation for a war, aggressor states followed a series of procedures, including adoption of war policy and military operation plan for its execution, advance deployment of forces, ceaseless simulated and actual war drills and war provocation," the ministry's statement read.

These annual drills have consistently drawn the ire of Pyongyang, as has the increasing presence and activity of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific.

North Korea responded to last year's Freedom Shield drills by carrying out tests of a strategic cruise missile, overseen by Kim Jong Un, according to KNCA.

In June, following the conclusion of the first "multi-domain" trilateral exercises involving the U.S., South Korea and Japan, Pyongyang condemned the three countries' "reckless and provocative" actions, and warned that these would be met with "fatal consequences."

In its Monday statement, North Korea's Foreign Ministry also criticized America's "nuclear confrontation policy against the DPRK," which it said was evidenced by the creation of the U.S.-South Korean "Nuclear Consultative Group" in April 2023.

According to a joint statement from Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in July, after the pair signed their first guidelines on nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, this group has "directly strengthened U.S.-ROK cooperation on extended deterrence, and managed the threat to the nonproliferation regime posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Since the consultative group was launched in 2023, U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarines have been sent to South Korean waters, which North Korea has warned "may fall under the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons."

[darkmaga-retard]

While the United States is unable to go past the testing phase in the development of hypersonic missiles, Russia is zooming ahead with upgrades to already unrivaled weapon systems it has been fielding for decades at this point. In fact, even much smaller countries such as North Korea and Iran have surpassed the US in this regard, despite being under siege for decades. In line with this, many countries are changing their military doctrine, opting for long-range precision strike capabilities in order to deter NATO aggression. Expectedly, Moscow went furthest in this and is still the only military superpower on the planet with hypersonic weapons on a tactical, operational, strategic and doctrinal level. Namely, the Russian military has approximately two dozen various hypersonic weapons in service or about to be inducted. This stands in stark contrast to the entire political West, which fields exactly zero hypersonic weapons, despite running dozens of programs simultaneously.

The Kremlin has been using this massive advantage to great effect in the special military operation (SMO), wiping out thousands of illegally deployed NATO personnel in Ukraine. The 9-A-7660 “Kinzhal” missile systems armed with the 9-S-7760 air-launched hypersonic missiles have been able to destroy the most heavily fortified enemy targets, while the multirole 3M22 “Zircon” has proven its effectiveness against high-value targets all across Ukraine, whether it was the SBU/GUR personnel that took part in organizing terrorist attacks on hundreds of Russian civilians, or the CIA and other NATO intelligence services handlers who were aiding them. However, the “Iskander” missile system has been the most cost-effective and most common hypersonic weapon used by the Russian military. Just last month, it launched dozens of long-range strikes that have obliterated hundreds of the most valuable personnel and assets, including the overhyped NATO weapons.

As the world’s first land-based hypersonic missile platform, the 9K720 “Iskander” system has two variants. The first is the “Iskander-M”, armed with the advanced 9M723 quasi-ballistic/hypersonic missiles capable of massive speeds of up to Mach 8.7 and reaching a range of up to 500 km (due to INF Treaty limitations). Most Western sources classify it as an SRBM (short-range ballistic missile), albeit it’s far more advanced than a regular ballistic missile. The second is the “Iskander-K”, modified to launch cruise missiles such as the 9M728 (essentially the R-500, with a range of up to 500 km) and the Novator’s 9M729 (which Western sources claim has a staggering range of up to 5,500 km). It has a high degree of modularity, making it easy and affordable to upgrade the system, which gives it a plethora of strike options for various targets, be it large concentrations of infantry, heavy armor, parked aircraft, etc. Its accuracy also allows pinpoint precision strikes on high-priority targets.

[mariacallous]

With the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching in February and the European continent in the grip of deep winter, the Kremlin is redoubling its attacks against Ukraine on land and from the skies. While Russia appears to have regained the initiative along the ground front, its recent territorial gains remain minimal and have come at a terrible price in troops and materiel. Russia’s air campaign, however, has ramped up across Ukraine at levels not seen since last spring’s bombing offensive. Moscow is deploying massive, serial waves of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles — an increasing number of which are supplied by Iran and North Korea.

However, unlike last year’s winter, when Russia was mostly assaulting Ukraine’s energy and heating infrastructure, it is now pursuing a double strategy of sowing terror by striking civilian housing and destroying high-value defense industrial targets. Ukraine’s air defenses used to reliably intercept most of Russia’s bombs, but they are now struggling in winter weather against much more sophisticated attacks designed to wear them out.

Having put the Russian economy on a war footing, increased its military budget and domestic weapons production, evaded sanctions, and cultivated talks with Pyongyang and Tehran to keep supplies of drones and missiles flowing, the Kremlin is clearly expecting to make its onslaught last past the U.S. elections in November. Hardly a day goes by without a senior Russian official or state media threatening the obliteration of Ukraine as a nation.

Meanwhile, Congress is holding up Biden’s $60 billion pledge of aid to Ukraine, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is blocking a €50 billion (approximately $55 billion) support package promised by the European Union. NATO partners have struggled to fulfill their commitments to increase the production of ammunition so desperately needed by Ukraine; the EU has failed since the summer to agree on stocking up the European Peace Facility, a fund created to facilitate joint weapons acquisitions. Ukraine’s Western supporters also continue to fight over the legality of using Russia’s frozen central bank reserves to help Kyiv finance a battle for survival, which according to Berkeley economist Yuriy Gorodnichenko is costing it an estimated $1 billion to 1.5 billion per day.

Yet the news is by no means all bad. In December, the EU’s heads of government decided to open membership accession discussions with Kyiv. Germany and the United Kingdom have announced they will increase their funding, respectively, to $8.5 billion (doubling current funding by more than $4 billion) and $3 billion (an increase of $216 million over last year). The European External Action Service (the EU’s foreign ministry) will audit weapons deliveries by the bloc’s member states. Ahead of the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion and a European Council meeting on February 1, European leaders are readying new sanctions against Russia; EU officials are also hopeful that, to get an additional €50 billion in aid to Kyiv, they can either strike a deal with Orbán or deploy an off-budget plan to bypass his opposition.

The national security advisors of 83 countries attended a recent meeting that was hosted by neutral Switzerland in cooperation with Kyiv on a Ukrainian peace plan — including a significant number from the Global South, where numerous countries have been inclined to sympathize with Russia At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a warm reception from world leaders. U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, promised that the United States and its partners would continue to stand by Zelenskyy.

[tomorrowusa]

While Putin is bombing schools, maternity hospitals, and hardware stores in Ukraine, the Ukrainians struck a Russian over-the-horizon radar station 1,800 km (1,119 miles) from Ukraine. Apparently Russia's radar technology didn't see the drone about to hit it. 😆

A long-range drone operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) attacked early-warning Voronezh M radar in Russia's Orsk city in Orenburg Oblast on May 26, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on May 27. For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine attacked facilities in Orsk, some 1,800 kilometers (around 1,200 miles) from the drone's launch location, according to the source. Russian media claimed on May 26 that a drone fell in the Orsk suburbs in the Novoorsk district, allegedly targeting a military facility. No damages or casualties were reported. The military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent that the consequences of the May 26 attack are still being clarified. Later during the day, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Schemes project published satellite imagery of the radar system after the attack.

Here are before and after satellite photos of the Orsk radar facility. It's a little difficult to make out the damage because the photos were taken at different times of day and from slightly different angles. But inside the red circles there are blackened areas which can't be accounted for by shadows.

Ukraine's military intelligence also struck another Voronezh radar in the village of Glubokii in Krasnodar Krai on May 23, causing a fire at the facility, according to the source. Voronezh radar is an early-warning equipment that provides long-distance airspace monitoring, focusing on ballistic missile attacks and aircraft. Its operational range is up to 6,000 kilometers (around 3,700 miles).

These over-the-horizon radar systems are updated versions of technology developed during the Cold War. With Ukraine set to receive F-16s later this year, damaging these radar installations would make it more difficult for Russia to monitor Ukrainian flyers from afar.

The distance traveled by Ukrainian drones keeps increasing. They may soon have all of European Russia within range of drones. One goal may be to be able to disrupt shipments of arms Russia is getting from North Korea and China as they pass through Siberia.

[warsofasoiaf]

How difficult and costly would it be for the US & S. Korea to repel a theoretical North Korean attack, and is the current situation frought?

Sorry to double ask, but I realized there was probably an easier way to ask my question. In the event of war with North Korea, could South Korea handle North Korea on its own?

The South Koreans enjoy technological dominance over the North. The North Koreans primarily use old T-62 and T-72 tanks, BTR-series IFV's, incredibly outdated artillery, and a navy that still relies on deck guns. In a protracted war, the South would outpace and outsupply the North. That means the likelihood of a massive North Korean first strike is high, in the event of a war.

In the event of a North Korean first strike, you'd probably see a lot of missiles and artillery fired rather indiscriminately from the North to the South which would create massive casualties, particularly among civilians.

Fortunately, a large buildup is not something you can hide, so hopefully recon and intelligence can give forewarning and possibly pre-empt the worst of the damage.

Thanks for the question, Cle-Guy.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[theculturedmarxist]

One of my favorite follows on Twitter right now is a smallish account run by an anti-imperialist activist who goes by “Left I on the News”, because he has a real knack for going through articles in the mainstream press and highlighting the mundane little manipulations we’re fed each day to shape our worldview in alignment with the US empire.

One story he singled out recently was a New York Times article titled “Russia Fires Drones and Missiles at Southern Ukraine,” which opens with the line, “Russian forces launched drones and missiles at cities in southern Ukraine from the Black Sea early Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, a day after Moscow blamed Kyiv for an attack on a bridge linking the occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia.”

Can you spot anything funny in that sentence? It’s not super obvious at first glance.

“Look how the NYT phrases this subhead to make Russia sound extra evil,” Left I tweeted with a screenshot of the article. “Not ‘a day after Kyiv attacked the Kerch Bridge’, but a day after Russia blamed them for doing it (as if it’s just some wild accusation). Remember — the most effective propaganda is the subtlest.”

“The most effective propaganda is the subtlest” is a phrase you should try to remember, because it’s so very true.

It is indeed ridiculous to try to frame this as some wild accusation by Russia, as though Moscow should have remained open to the possibility that the bridge was struck by Bolivia or Nepal. CNN reports that Ukrainian officials have taken credit for the attack, and just days ago Ukraine’s deputy defense minister publicly acknowledged that Ukraine was behind last year’s attack on the very same bridge. No serious person doubts that Ukraine was behind the attack, including those who support Ukraine.

But that subtle manipulation didn’t really stand out when you first saw it, did it?

As we’ve discussed previously, these subtle little adjustments of perception are what constitutes the vast majority of the propaganda westerners ingest through the news media from day to day. This is because the really overt, ham-fisted propaganda isn’t what’s effective; what’s effective is those sneaky little lies that slide in unchecked underneath people’s critical thinking faculties.

Contrast the above example with the response we’ve been seeing to Yeonmi Park, whose outlandish, larger-than-life propagandistic lies about what it’s like to live in North Korea have turned her into an internet meme. She’s become so widely mocked that even The Washington Post, among the first to help amplify her as a trustworthy North Korean defector after her arrival in the US in 2014, is now openly questioning her credibility.

This is because propaganda only works if it doesn’t ring people’s cognitive alarm bells. You can’t slide propaganda down people’s throats if it triggers their critical thinking gag reflex. If you want to poison someone’s food, you can only pull off the deed if they don’t taste the poison or throw it up before it takes effect.

So most propaganda isn’t of the Yeonmi Park “communists are so poor that they have to eat mud and get out of the train and push it because there’s no electricity” variety. It’s subtle. It’s these tiny little adjustments where US allies are reported on more sympathetically than US enemies, claims made by unaligned governments are reported with much more scrutiny and skepticism than aligned governments, and the sins which take place within the US-centralized power structure are overlooked while those outside it are amplified and condemned.

We’ve been ingesting these tiny little manipulations all our lives like microplastics in our water supply, and they build up within our reality tunnels to significantly warp our perception of what’s going on in the world.

And the fact that it’s been so many tiny little lies over years and years means it’s a lot harder to extract all the perception management from our worldview once we’ve discovered that it’s happening. If it was just a few really big lies we could reorient ourselves toward truth fairly quickly just by recognizing them, but because it’s so very many tiny manipulations it takes years of sincere work to fully free yourself from all the distortions and false assumptions you grew up with.

But it’s worth doing, because positive change can only come from an awareness of what’s true, whether you’re talking about individuals or humanity as a whole. Our task as humans is to come to a truth-based relationship with reality to the furthest extent possible, and that means fearlessly diving headfirst into the long, hard slog of sorting out fact from fiction, one lie at a time, no matter how subtle.

[k-s-morgan]

This is a belated post where I wanted to briefly address the outcomes of 2023!

While Ukraine mostly faded from the stage of world's news, unfortunately, the situation didn't get better for my people. Every day Russia kills, maims, and ruins everything it can touch. Every day civilians die from its imprecise missiles, random shootings and artillery, and outright executions. I often see that those living in other countries call this Putin's war, but it really isn't. This is the war sponsored by Putin and his regime, true, but first and foremost, this is the war of Russian people. It's hundreds of thousands of Russian people who arm themselves and go kill our defenders and our civilians. It's Russian people who fire from tanks and other deadly weapons to ruin the Ukrainians' homes, to scorch our land, to leave nothing but destruction instead of cities and villages. It's Russian people who build the missiles, load their bombers, and fly for 5+ hours to direct them at our cities, homes, factories, and even empty fields.

This is me during one of the latest massive attack that took place on January 2. At first, at night, 35+ Russian-Iranian drones bombed us. Then Russian people sent about 100 missiles at us, mainly at my city Kyiv.

Our air defense system managed to intercept the majority of them, but while it sounds like interception is an entirely positive thing, it might have terrible consequences. Because the parts of the missiles fall down randomly. They can kill any human or creature walking down the street; they can collapse on top of a residential building. There is no escape, no way to feel safe even with the best air defense systems surrounding the city. Here's one of many disastrous results of this attack.

Dead and injured people and animals. Damaged and lost apartments.

On December 29, another attack killed over 30 people in Kyiv alone. You can see their faces below. They deserve to be seen and remembered.

This is a short story of just two latest attacks that took place just within one week, just in one city. Imagine how many of them me and my people lived through during the entire year? How many more we will have to experience?

Actually, we lived through another one before I finished writing this post. It happened on January 8, and it killed even more civilians.

I know that there are good, sane, compassionate Russians. I have some relatives among them. One of them, my aunt, can't keep herself entirely silent: she's deeply religious, and a few weeks ago, in a church, she risked saying that killing Ukrainians is bad. Another man told her that she's scum and that if she dares to open her mouth again, he will report her to authorities. The headmaster of a school where my aunt teaches was imprisoned for 7 years for refusing to hold a Z-event among students. Living there must be a torture of another kind, where you are surrounded by zombies who openly promote terrorism and bless missiles sent to kill other human beings. The problem is that sane and compassionate Russians are the minority - the vast majority is happy to either kill us or they support those who kill us. Or they simply don't care, trying to claim that everything is complicated when in reality, there is nothing complicated about it at all. Russia is a terrorist state and the world allows its people and its government to keep being monsters.

Seeing the indifference and impotence of seemingly powerful countries makes me increasingly concerned and depressed. At this point, I don't think I'm simply affected by my experiences: the world is rapidly going to hell, with terrorist countries like Russia being allowed to revel in their blood-thirstiness and the other terrorist countries, like North Korea, or potential offenders like China, observing and taking notes. When a criminal sees that no one is punished for a crime, they escalate. More criminals appear. This is what I feel is going to start happening more and more, until half of the planet is plunged into death and destruction. I'll be so very glad to be wrong.

On a personal note, I lost my most beloved pet pigeon Daikiria in 2023. I love her and miss her so much that I still cry whenever I think of her. In turn, I acquired a red nightmare of a rabbit who eats everything, including my feet, and two more pigeons. Taking care of them brings me joy - I only hope that my effort will actually benefit them.

Here's a pigeon that I named Noveria the day I found her, in a video I made for my vet. Attacked by a cat, bleeding all over, with broken ribs and a missing piece of her wing, with no tail:

Here is she now. She is feeling much better, although unfortunately, she got sick because of her weakened immune system.

My kitties continue to be adorable dorks. Here's me sleeping with my cat Tom after one of the attacks - he's really scared of loud sounds, so he sleeps like a rock afterward, just like me.

My family stays strong, and I hope we will remain to be so.

Writing stories remains a huge source of relief and distraction to me, and your support, love, and care give me strength even when I feel like I'm about to run out of it.

Thank you to those who support me on Patreon and give me a chance to have a safety net shielding me from some of the horrors and insecurities - thanks to you, I can rest sometimes when I would have to work instead; I can afford some more distractions and to write more as a result. Thank you to those who leave comments, kudos, asks; thank you to my friends who never fail to message me with questions about my well-being. I love and I appreciate you tremendously, and despite all my fears and worries, I hope that we will get to see a better future still.

[bostonwalks]

"Israel must launch preemptive attack against Iran"

...For Israel, per Cicero, “The safety of the People shall be the highest law.” In the matter of impending war and accelerating Iranian nuclearization, the safety of the People of Israel could best be served by waging a just war against Iran while that enemy is pre-nuclear. Though a not-yet-nuclear Iran could still wage catastrophic war against the Jewish State, it would be markedly less catastrophic than any war between two regional nuclear powers. This is the case even if an Iran that had just crossed the nuclear threshold were “less powerful” than an already nuclear Israel. In any such nuclear conflict, even a “weaker” Iran (assuming its nuclear weapons were “penetration-capable”) could still wreak unacceptable harm on Israel. All things considered, if war between Israel and Iran is expected, it would be more rational for Jerusalem to enter such belligerency as the sole nuclear combatant and to wage this war such that that asymmetry could continue. Nonetheless, even during a conventional war with Iran, Israel could decide that the expectations of “escalation dominance” had become overwhelming, and that an Israeli escalation to nuclear combat would still be rational. An example could involve an Iranian nonnuclear missile attack upon Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor, Iranian resort to radiation-dispersal weapons (dirty bombs), and/or the combat involvement of already nuclear North Korea on the side of Iran. In all such complex scenarios, Cicero’s counsel would remain primary and incontestable: “The safety of the People is the highest law.”

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