my timesThe Korea Times
South Korea

Defense

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Carter expects to discuss THAAD with S. Korean defense chief

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he expects the issue of the THAAD missile defense system to come up when he meets with his South Korean counterpart in Singapore later this week.Carter made the remark en route to the Southeast Asian nation for the annual "Shangri-La Dialogue" meeting of regional defense ministers set to open Friday. Carter is scheduled to meet one-on-one with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on its sidelines."I will see my colleague, Defense Minister Han. I'm sure that topic will come up," Carter told reporters in response to a question whether he will discuss THAAD during the trip, according to a transcript provided by the Defense Department."It's not something we need to discuss much, because ... the plans are moving forward. This is an alliance decision, a decision of the United States and the Republic of Korea, which is about protecting us both from a North Korean missile attack," he said."It's an alliance decision, a decision we took together. The implementation of it will be a series of decisions that we take together, and it's for our own protec

Jun 3, 2016

RIMPAC naval exercise fires up with record 27 nations

/Courtesy of TwitterBy Lee Han-sooA record 27 nations are participating in the world’s largest naval drill, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), this year, according to the U.S. Navy.RIMPAC, hosted by the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, is held every two years – in June and July - in Hawaii. Exercises include live gunnery and missile fire, maritime interdiction, vessel boarding, anti-surface warfare, undersea warfare, naval maneuvers and air defense.This year’s RIMPAC runs until to August 4. Brazil, Denmark, Germany and Italy are taking part for the first time.The U.S. Navy said 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 military personnel are involved. Participating nations include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom.China also is taking part. But there are concerns about the rift between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea, with Hawaii congressman Mark Takai questio

Jun 2, 2016
RIMPAC naval exercise fires up with record 27 nations

Korean Navy to join US-led multinational naval exercise

The South Korean Navy said Thursday it plans to join the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), a U.S.-led biennial multinational naval drill, which will kick off late June, in a bid to boost the combat capability of its ships and crew.A group of about 700 servicemen from the Navy and Marine Corps will take part in this year's RIMPAC, which will be held from June 30 to Aug. 4 in waters off Hawaii, according to military officials.The Navy said it plans to send three warships including the Aegis-equipped Sejong the Great destroyer, maritime surveillance aircraft and other military assets. A guided missile destroyer and a submarine will also be present at the exercise.This year's exercise is seen as being the largest ever and will involve military personnel from 27 nations with units undergoing a variety of tactical maneuvers such as anti-submarine drills and firing exercises with guided missiles.Before joining the RIMPAC, South Korea will attend the Pacific Dragon ballistic missile defense exercise with the United States and Japan in a bid to counter North Korea's missile threats.The ex

Jun 2, 2016

US should consider handling nuclear weapons with S. Korea, Japan: expert

The United States should consider jointly handling nuclear weapons with South Korea and Japan so as to prevent the key Asian allies from seeking nuclear armament of their own, a U.S. expert has suggested.Evan Braden Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, put forward the "combined nuclear planning and nuclear sharing" idea in a recent report, saying the allies could consider independent nuclear armament if North Korea's nuclear capability surges."How might Washington prevent nuclear proliferation if South Korea were to decide that it needed to offset North Korea's nuclear arsenal, if Japan were to determine that it had no other option to balance against a rising China, or if both of these outcomes occurred?" Montgomery said in the report.One possibility would be to establish mechanisms that are similar to those that can be found in Europe, including both "combined nuclear planning groups and nuclear sharing arrangements," he said."If Seoul and Tokyo had a clearer window into how the United States intended to conduct nuclear operations and a

Jun 2, 2016

S. Korea closely watches signs for NK missile launch, ready to react any provocations

South Korea said Monday that it is closely tracking any signs of a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea amid Japanese media reports that preparation is under way and a launch might be imminent."We are tracking any missile-related signs and maintain a high state of readiness," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Citing a local government source, NHK earlier said that Japan has put its military on alert as North Korea is showing signs of launching a ballistic missile.NHK reported that the Japanese government has ordered its military to be ready to intercept any ballistic missile to be fired by the North if it enters its territory.Under the order, Japan's military will deploy Aegis destroyers equipped with high-performing radars and intercept capabilities along with ground-based interception missile troops in a bid to step up surveillance.Kyodo News also reported that signs have been detected that the North is preparing a missile launch which it speculated might be a Musudan intermediate-range missile. It said that preparations are under way in the eastern part of the country.Nor

May 30, 2016

NATO military committee chairman visits S. Korea

The chairman of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) arrived in South Korea on Monday for a four-day visit which includes a meeting with the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff (JCS), the military said.Having arrived in Seoul in the morning, Chairman Petr Pavel, who is a Czech army general, will hold a meeting with JCS Chairman Lee Sun-jin later in the day to discuss military cooperation between South Korea and NATO, the JCS said in a press release.During his visit, Pavel also plans to call on Defense Minister Han Min-koo and visit the Joint Security Area, the heavily-guarded inter-Korean truce village, according to the JCS.Pavel's visit marks the first time a chairman of NATO's Military Committee has set foot on South Korean soil, the JCS said."With Military Committee Chairman Pavel's visit, the actual military cooperation between South Korea and NATO will be further cemented," the JCS said. (Yonhap)

May 30, 2016

Trump renews calls for allies to pay up for US protection

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his calls for allies to pay more for American defense support."We protect Japan. We protect Saudi Arabia," Trump said at the annual bikers' rally in Washington, repeating his long-running point that the U.S. has been providing protection for wealthy nations like South Korea and Japan in exchange for little and should end such protection unless those countries agree to pay more."It's going to be a whole new ballgame," Trump said. "We send them wheat. They send us cars. I'm not angry at them. I'm angry at our grossly incompetent president who allowed this to happen."Trump did not mention South Korea, but it is not believed to be any meaningful omission.Maximizing U.S. interests through negotiation is the No. 1 point in Trump's "America First" foreign policy. Trump and his aides have repeatedly emphasized that the businessman is an excellent negotiator and is ready to use the skill to regain American interests lost under Democrat administrations.But such a stance has unnerved foreign countries, especially such allies

May 30, 2016

US senator proposes to call for THAAD deployment in defense budget bill

A U.S. senator proposed Thursday that next year's defense budget bill include calls for deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea to beef up defense against growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.Sen. Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, made the proposal in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, citing "an imminent and growing threat" from the North."It is the sense of Congress ... that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system would effectively complement and significantly strengthen the existing missile defense capabilities of the United States on the Korean Peninsula," the proposed amendment said.It also said that THAAD is "a limited defensive system that does not represent a threat to any of the neighbors" of South Korea, a statement apparently designed to counter China's claims that the system can be used offensively.The amendment welcomes ongoing talks between Seoul and Washington about the issue and calls for considering dep

May 27, 2016
  • US in rush to conclude THAAD deal

GE picked as preferred bidder to supply engines for next-generation fighter jets

South Korea's state arms procurement agency on Thursday said it has picked U.S. company General Electric (GE) as the preferred bidder to supply engines for the country's next-generation fighter jets.The U.S. company has been picked as the supplier for the Korean Fighter Experimental (KF-X) program, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).European engine maker Eurojet Turbo GmbH and GE had been vying to become the engine provider for the 18 trillion-won (US$15.3 billion) project that calls for building 120 locally made twin-engine combat jets.Seoul aims to deploy the new planes starting in the mid-2020s to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s jets. (Yonhap)

May 26, 2016

Upgraded model of Apache choppers deployed in S. Korea

South Korea has deployed the latest upgraded model of Apache helicopters, which are expected to enhance its overall combat capability, the country's defense procurement agency said Thursday.According to the Defense Acquisition Procurement Administration (DAPA), four AH-64E Guardians were delivered to Army units, which recently completed combat deployment. The four are the first to reach front-line South Korean combat units.The agency signed a US$1.6 billion contract with the U.S. in 2013 to buy 36 AH-64Es, an upgraded model of the AH-64D Longbow. It is to deliver all of the Apache helicopters to the Army by early next year.The AH-64E is a heavily armed helicopter featuring more powerful, fuel-efficient engines and enhanced rotor blades. It has improved aircraft handling compared to older models with superior performance and agility at higher altitudes.The attack choppers are also equipped with updated sensors that improve a crew's situational awareness and can strike a more diverse range of targets."We will deliver all helicopters and other support equipment as planned," DAPA said. "

May 26, 2016
previous page
418419420421422
next page

Most Read in South Korea