Displaying items by tag: us national security

Russia: 755 U.S. Diplomatic Staff to be Expelled, President Says. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will expel 755 U.S. diplomatic staff and could consider imposing additional measures against the United States as a response to new U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported July 30. Moscow ordered the United States on July 28 to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff and said it would seize two U.S. diplomatic properties after the U.S. Congress approved new sanctions on Russia. Putin said in an interview that the diplomatic and technical staff would have to leave Russia by Sept. 1. When it comes to responding to Washington's actions, Moscow has creative options for retaliation.

U.S.: Bombers Fly Over Korean Peninsula. The United States flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force on July 30 after North Korea's recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the U.S. and South Korean air forces said, Reuters reported. The bombers took off from a U.S. air base in Guam, and were joined by Japanese and South Korean fighter jets during the exercise. The flight was in direct response to the July 28 North Korean missile test and the previous July 3 launch of the "Hwansong-14" rocket, a U.S. statement said.  

Another successful THAAD test as tensions over North Korean threat grows.  NBC reports the U.S. conducted a test of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) defense system in Alaska by launching a ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean.  The target was fired by a U.S. Air Force plane and intercepted by THAAD, according to the Missile Defense Agency on Sunday.  This was the second such test in a month by THAAD interceptors.  The U.S. has deployed THAAD in South Korea to guard against North Korea’s shorter-range missiles, an action that angers China, which claims the system’s radar can probe deep into its territory.  

ISIS claims attack on U.S.-backed troops.  The Atlantic reports ISIS claimed on Friday to have attacked a U.S.-backed formation near Raqqa, the group’s de factor capital in Syria.  The alleged attack against Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a Kurdish group allied with the U.S. – took place in the Homs province.  ISIS claims it destroyed two armored vehicles and killed 53 Kurdish fighters.  Meanwhile, SDF claims to have captured 40 percent of Raqqa and ISIS jihadi are in retreat.

CONSEQUENCES

Iran’s expanding influence across the Mideast.  BuzzFeed reports Iran has tens of thousands of Shi’a representatives who are armed and decisively engaged across the Middle East seeking the regime’s singular objective of growing the Shi’a crescent, stretching from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean Sea.  Those jihadi form a dominant force in the region, enabling Tehran to execute its coherent strategy, upstaging a coalition of Sunni dominated nations and the White House’s strategy for the region.  Much of Iran’s success is attributable to the secretive Quds Force of the IRGC and its commander General QassemSuleimani.

PACOM commander focuses on three major regional threats.  The Military Times reports Navy Adm. Harry Harris said his command is focused on three major threats: North Korea, China’s interactions in the South China Sea and the spread of ISIS to the Philippines.  These distinctive threats are a serious challenge to the command’s reach and stretch its resources in the vast Asia-Pacific.  Adm. Harris told the Japan-U.S. Military Statesmen Forum in Washington, D.C., on Friday that North Korea is an “immediate threat to our alliance.”  “While I don’t know if those missiles can actually hit what they’re aimed at, but like in horseshoes and hand grenades, getting close is all that’s needed when you’re dealing with nuclear weapons.”   Note: I’ve twice visited the Asia-Pacific command this year and I have seen the growing anxiety there over the many challenges on their plate.

U.S.- Iran tensions rise as Washington imposes new sanctions on Tehran.  Agence France-Presse reports Iran vows to press ahead with its missile program in spite of new U.S. sanctions, fueling the rhetoric between the two countries.  Meanwhile, Tehran and Washington accused each other of the latest provocative manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf where a U.S. helicopter deployed flares.  The U.S. Navy said it responded to an IRGC vessel that raced at high speed and came too close to one of its vessels.  An Iranian government spokesman said his country “will continue with full power our missile program….We consider the action of the U.S. as hostile, reprehensible and unacceptable, and it’s ultimately an effort to weaken the [2015] nuclear deal.”

North Korea celebrates latest ICBM Launch and warns U.S. against sanctions.  Yonhap News Agency reports North Korea on Sunday warned of “a stern action of justice” if the U.S. seeks more sanctions in response to the Friday’s ICBM test.  “If the United States sticks to its military adventurism against us and super-intensive sanctions schemes, we will respond with a stern action of justice as we have already declared,” a North Korean spokesman said.F

South Korea asks U.S. for more powerful ballistic missiles.  The Atlantic reports South Korean president Moon Jae-in asked the U.S. to open negotiations that would allow South Korea to build more powerful ballistic missiles to counter North Korean aggression.  Evidently Pyongyang’s Friday launch of yet another ICBM nudged President Moon to make the request which evidently was welcomed by the U.S. national security advisor H.R. McMaster.  This is a remarkable turn-around for Moon who won his office on a platform that favored dialogue with North Korea and opposed to hosting U.S. missiles.  Predictably the request upset China which issued a statement saying that “THAAD won’t solve South Korea’s security concerns, won’t solve the related issues on the Korean Peninsula and will only further complicate issues.”

RELATED ISSUES

Iraq: Shiite Leader Muqtada Al-Sadr Visits Saudi Arabia. Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr arrived in Saudi Arabia on July 30 in what is his first visit in nearly 11 years, Al Arabiya reported. The Saudi minister of state for Gulf affairs greeted al-Sadr on his arrival. Al-Sadr enjoys a wide base support as leader of al-Sadr political movement. Al-Sadr last visited Saudi Arabia in 2006. The trip highlights Saudi Arabia's interest in Iraq, which has developed ties with the kingdom's regional rival, Iran.

Robert Maginnis
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