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Tag: Korean peninsula

  • Map shows US “strategic triangle” to contain China

    A United States commander said treaty allies South Korea, Japan and the Philippines could form a “strategic triangle” to contain China if military planners view the region from a nontraditional perspective, with east orientation at the top.

    General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, wrote in a Sunday article that the east-up map, rather than the standard north-up one, shows the collective potential of connecting the three allied nations as a triangle, creating what he called “an integrated network” for situational awareness and coordinated responses.

    Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.

    Why It Matters

    The U.S. has long leveraged the territories of allied and partner nations in the western Pacific to deter potential Chinese aggression. Under its island chain strategy, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines form a north-south defensive line east of China, intended to help U.S. forces project power in the region amid China’s growing military presence.

    Brunson’s concept of the east-up map comes as the U.S. and South Korea modernize their 72-year alliance to address security challenges outside the Korean Peninsula. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently suggested that the U.S. Forces Korea could be deployed for “regional contingencies” in addition to deterring North Korea’s threats.

    What To Know

    In an article published on the U.S. Forces Korea website, Brunson said the Indo-Pacific is a region where geographic relations determine “operational possibilities and alliance effectiveness,” noting that hidden strategic advantages could be revealed by simply rotating the standard north-up map to show Japan and the Philippines above China.

    “When the same region is viewed with east orientation toward the top, the strategic picture transforms dramatically,” the general wrote, adding that this new perspective revealed his forces are no longer “distant assets” but are “positioned inside the bubble perimeter that the U.S. would need to penetrate in the event of crisis or contingency.”

    The U.S. military deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea, along with fighter jets and unmanned aircraft. Its primary mission is to deter aggression and defend South Korea to maintain regional stability, a role the U.S. has held since the Korean War.

    “This shift in perspective illuminates [South] Korea’s role as a natural strategic pivot,” the commander said, noting that the ally is positioned to address threats from Russia while providing reach against Chinese activity in the waters between the two nations, demonstrating its significant strategic potential to influence adversary operations.

    The U.S. general was referring to China’s military presence in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea, where Beijing and Seoul have yet to establish a maritime boundary.

    Regarding the strategic triangle framework, Brunson said South Korea has what he called the “added advantage of cost-imposition capabilities” against both Russian and Chinese forces, due to its strategic depth and central position on the east-up map.

    While Japan has advanced technologies and controls key maritime chokepoints along Pacific shipping lanes, the Philippines provides southern access points and oversight of vital sea lanes connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the general explained.

    The commander urged military planners to experiment with east-up mapping when analyzing opportunities for alliance coordination and existing force positioning advantages in the Indo-Pacific, which traditional north-up mapping still obscures.

    What People Are Saying

    General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, wrote in an article on Sunday: “The geographic advantages we seek may already exist, waiting to be recognized through a simple shift in perspective. The question for military planners is not whether geography matters, it is whether we are seeing it clearly enough to recognize the strategic opportunities it provides, and whether we have the courage to view familiar perspectives through fresh eyes.”

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on November 4: “There’s no doubt flexibility for regional contingencies is something we would take a look at, but we are focused on standing by our allies [in South Korea] and ensuring the threat of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea] is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and certainly continue to extend nuclear deterrence as we have before.”

    What Happens Next

    It remains unclear how the U.S. Forces Korea will adjust its posture to respond to regional contingencies while continuing its mission to deter North Korea’s aggression.

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  • North Korea warns US over nuclear weapon “domino” effect

    North Korea has warned that U.S. approval for the South to build a nuclear-powered submarine will set off a nuclear weapon “domino” effect and trigger a “hot” arms race.

    Why It Matters

    North Korea has pushed ahead with its development of nuclear weapons and the missiles with which to strike its perceived enemies, including the United States, despite sanctions and efforts over the years to engage it in negotiations in exchange for sanctions relief.

    Pyongyang’s warning comes after the leaders of both the U.S. and North Korea suggested they could meet to renew the dialogue that they began during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

    What To Know

    Trump said after talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung late last month that he had given approval for South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, marking a potentially historic expansion of military cooperation between the allies.

    North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which reflects the thinking of the North Korean leadership, said in a commentary that recent agreements between Trump and Lee “reveal the true colors of the confrontational will of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK.” 

    South Korea’s official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK), while North Korea is officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

    “The U.S. allowed the ROK’s possession of nuclear submarine, disregarding the danger of the global nuclear arms race…and gave green light for the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of nuclear waste fuel, thus laying a springboard for its development into the ‘quasi-nuclear weapons state,’” KCNA said.

    “The ROK’s possession of a nuclear submarine is a strategic move for ‘its own nuclear weaponization’ and this is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race,” KCNA said.

    Upgrading South Korea’s submarine fleet, which will remain conventionally armed, would help ease the operational burden on the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific region, where it has deployed nuclear-powered submarines to counter China, its main military rival.

    North Korea, which is estimated to have 50 nuclear warheads, is also developing a nuclear-powered submarine program—possibly with Russia’s help, according to South Korean officials.

    In March, North Korea’s state media released photographs of what it said was an inspection tour by leader Kim Jong Un of a shipyard where its first nuclear submarine is being built.

    KCNA did not refer to Trump by name in its commentary but it said the U.S-South Korean cooperation proved U.S. hostility “irrespective of regime change.”

    What People Are Saying

    North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said in its commentary: “The U.S. and the ROK are openly ignoring the DPRK’s legitimate security concern and aggravating the regional tension…. The DPRK will take more justified and realistic countermeasures to defend the sovereignty and security interests of the state and regional peace, corresponding to the fact that the confrontational intention of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK was formulated as their policy.”

    What Happens Next

    Trump told reporters on October 24 he was “open” to a potential meeting with Kim, citing their “great relationship.” It remains unclear when such a meeting might take place, and whether concessions would be on the table without steps toward denuclearization.

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  • Flight map shows US watch for possible North Korea missile launch

    A U.S. spy plane has flown missions to Northeast Asia on five consecutive days to monitor potential missile launches from nuclear-armed North Korea, flight data showed.

    Newsweek has reach out to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for further comment via email. North Korea‘s embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Why It Matters

    North Korea, which refuses to abandon its nuclear weapons, frequently launches missiles for tests and exercises over the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in South Korea. It has also developed long-range missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland with nuclear warheads.

    The U.S. Air Force operates a range of reconnaissance aircraft for different missions and often deploys them to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa Island in Japan‘s southwestern waters. It is a key U.S. military hub in the Western Pacific for projecting power in contingencies.

    The recent American spy flights come as satellite imagery revealed suspected activity at a rumored secret site linked to North Korea’s nuclear program, and as leader Kim Jong Un toured a missile factory before departing for a military parade in China scheduled for Wednesday.

    What To Know

    Using aircraft tracking data from the online service Flightradar24, a Newsweek map shows that an Air Force RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft—also known as Cobra Ball—began the first of five flights over the Sea of Japan from Kadena Air Base at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Friday.

    The “rapidly deployable” aircraft, which is designed to collect optical and electronic data on ballistic missiles, was tracked flying northward and reaching the waters west of Japan’s main island of Honshu. The aircraft returned back to Okinawa after an almost 13-hour mission.

    The same Cobra Ball aircraft flew similar early morning missions over the next four days. @MeNMyRC1, an open-source intelligence analyst on the social media platform X, said the aircraft was supported by an aerial refueling tanker to extend its time over the Sea of Japan.

    Except for the mission on Saturday, for which Flightradar24 did not provide flight hours, the Cobra Ball aircraft flew close to 13 hours on three of the five flights. The most recent mission on Tuesday lasted six hours and was not supported by an aerial refueling tanker.

    According to @MeNMyRC1, the Cobra Ball aircraft, registered as 61-2662, was deployed to Okinawa from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on July 15 but did not fly its first mission until August 8. Its second mission, tracked over the Sea of Japan, took place on August 14.

    The U.S. Air Force said the Cobra Ball fleet, currently consisting of three aircraft, conducts missions directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff that are of national priority. Data collected is critical to the development of U.S. strategic defense and theater missile defense concepts.

    A United States RC-135S Cobra Ball reconnaissance aircraft takes off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on May 8, 2019.

    Senior Airman Jacob Skovo/U.S. Air Force

    What People Are Saying

    The U.S. Air Force said in a fact sheet: “The RC-135S, equipped with a sophisticated array of optical and electronic sensors, recording media, and communications equipment, is a national asset uniquely suited to provide America’s leaders and defense community with vital information that cannot be obtained by any other source.”

    The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in its missile threat assessment report: “Missile threats to the U.S. homeland will expand in scale and sophistication in the coming decade. […] North Korea has successfully tested ballistic missiles with sufficient range to reach the entire Homeland.”

    What Happens Next

    It remains to be seen whether North Korea will conduct missile tests or exercises during Kim’s visit to China. The U.S. military is likely to continue deploying reconnaissance aircraft near the Korean Peninsula to monitor North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities.

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