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Joe Varner has appeared on Canadian TV and Radio and has written extensively in Canadian publications such as CP24, CTV, 1310 News, 580 CFRA, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the Canadian Naval Review among others.

Advisor and subject matter expert in strategic intelligence, military operations, counter-terrorism, emergency disaster management, risk and diplomacy.

Provider of advice, research, media commentary on intelligence, military operations, counter-terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, defence and foreign policy, U.S., NATO, Asia, and Persian Gulf.

Tanker Attacks in the Straits of Hormuz: Iranian Brinksmanship

This morning, two oil Tankers, one Norwegian-owned Front Altair and other one the Japanese-owned Kokura Courageous were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Front Altair is burning, adrift, and evacuated and the other Kokura Courageous damaged, adrift, and evacuated. They appear to have been mined or hit with some other explosive device and in at least one case, several times. This follows attacks with mines on four Tankers a month ago, three Saudi Arabian and one Norwegian in M

Kelly Induced Asia Strategic Update

My friends have been asking for a Pacific-oriented strategic update and so here goes. Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has been given a second term by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to strengthen his grip on the party, state and military establishment of China. In real terms President Xi is likely to remain Chinese leader for life. Xi is China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong and his personal goal is to leave a legacy of reunification, forced if necessary, wit

Trudeau Ideology, Mali and Peacekeeping

The Trudeau government has finally decided to embark on its long-promised peacekeeping mission to Mali to buttress its hopes of gaining a non-veto wielding UN security Council seat. A seat which holds little prestige, and no real power. The Trudeau government has already invested billions in this exercise so that it can trumpet “Canada is back” to anyone who cares to listen to its ideologically driven worldview ‘battle cry!’ The very same “Canada that is back” that tried to s

‘Barking Dogs’ and Trump’s Visit to Asia in the Face of Likely North Korean Provocation

US President, Donald Trump, is set to depart today for a five-nation tour of Asia including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines and while a host of issues will be discussed North Korea tops the agenda. With little doubt, this is China’s last chance to step on its ally the Hermit Kingdom once and for all. President Trump and his advisers have made it clear that they will not allow North Korea to threaten its neighbors or the American homeland. The Trump admi

North Korean Tensions Increase Ahead of Trump Visit to China and South Korea

Three US aircraft carrier strike groups have now converged in the waters off the Korean peninsula including the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan. This comes after the US replenishment and increase in munitions being held in Guam, reported concerns that Secretary of State Tillerson’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution had hit an impasse, and reports that the US was in the process of increasing the readiness and alert status of its strategic,

US Prepared to Increase Readiness of Nuclear Triad in the Face of Threats from the Axis of Evil.

The US Air Force is reportedly preparing its fleet of B-52 nuclear-capable bombers for 24-hour alert at Barksdale Air Force Base. The alert would see the strategic bombers equipped with nuclear weapons stationed out on nine concrete pads at the end of the runway called the ‘Christmas Tree,’ and ready for immediate take-off. Nearby barracks are being restored and readied for crews. If the alert is given It seems very likely that the US will follow-up with forward deployment of

North Korea Starts Moving to a War Footing in Last 24 Hours

North Korea has warned the US of an “unimaginable strike at an unimaginable time” in response to on-going joint US-South Korean naval exercises. The Maritime Counter Special Operations Forces Exercise (MCSOFEX), involve fighter aircraft, helicopters and 40 surface combatants and submarines from both countries, centered around the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. There are reports that North Korea has been distributing live ammunition to forward units and moved to a war-foo

'Barking Dogs Don't Bite:' Cognitive Dissonance and the North Korean Crisis

North Korean rhetoric is legendary and likely to heat up this week as North Korea prepares for its next provocations on or about October 10th. On Monday, North Korea threatened to bring “nuclear clouds” to Japan and mocked Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, for acting like a “headless chicken.” North Korea's UN Ambassador has accused the US of imposing “an economic blockade” on his country and “clinging to unprecedented nuclear threats and blackmail, economic sanctions and

October 10th and North Korea’s Next Provocation Missile Test, Nuclear Test, EMP Event?

Japanese Defense Minister, Itsunori Onodera, has warned that more North Korean provocations were possible from Pyongyang on or about October 10th. The 10th coincides with the start of the Japanese lower house election campaigns and with the founding of the North Korean Communist Party. North Korea has a habit of marking noteworthy events on its calendar by conducting weapons tests, such as its fifth nuclear test last year on September 9th the founding anniversary. It is very

Parsons Green Terror Attack and North Korean Summary

Parsons Green Terror Attack and North Korean Summary On Friday morning, a teenage Iraqi refugee planted a bomb on a British subway train that exploded at Parsons Green train station. Some thirty people were injured in the attack likely inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS). Fortunately, the bomb, likely TATP, only partially exploded and in so doing avoided a massacre at rush hour. The 18-year-old Iraqi refugee who planted the bomb on the tube train and another 21-year-old Syri

War on Terror Continues, as Europe Fears Invasion and Asia Heats Up With More Threats From Kim Jong-

In the war on terror, a record 379 terror arrests were made in the UK in the last year with dozens coming after the Islamic State (ISIS) London and Manchester attacks. In Africa on Wednesday, US forces in Somalia conducted three precision airstrikes against al-Qaeda aligned al-Shabab, killing six terrorists. This is the third in a series of Somalia strikes this month and what appears to be a ramping-up of action against al-Shabab. Elsewhere in Africa, a girl with a bomb stra

September 9th and September 11th Anniversaries to be Key Dates for North Korea and Islamic Terror

In the third part of an English-language series on the Islamic State (ISIS) media channel, Furat Wilayah, promoting lone-wolf jihad style attacks, the terror group has called on its supporters to use cyanide to poison food in Western grocery stores. Additionally, a recent ISIS video shows elderly jihadis teaching young orphans to be suicide bombers. Furthermore, ISIS Supporters are said to be celebrating Hurricane Irma on social media as “this is the Reward of Your Crimes Aga

North Korean Crisis Update

Today, US President, Donald Trump, told reporters that military action in North Korea is not his first choice but "we'll see what happens." North Korean UN Ambassador Han Tae Song warned that “The U.S. will receive more ‘gift packages’ from my country as long as its relies on reckless provocations and futile attempts to put pressure on the DPRK.” With the world expecting another North Korean missile test and perhaps another nuclear test, South Korean Navy warships conducted l

US Should Bring Back and Forward Deploy the Theatre-level, Nuclear-Tipped, Tomahawk Land Attack Crui

A great deal has happened since my Friday blog post entitled “The World is Sleepwalking into a Preemptive Military Strike on North Korea.” On Saturday evening, after announcing that they had deployed Hydrogen bombs or thermonuclear warheads on Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), and were ready to carry out Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks, North Korea set off a likely two-stage thermonuclear explosion at its Punggye-ri test facility. The yield on the underground

The World is Sleepwalking into a Preemptive Military Strike on North Korea

The world is sleepwalking into a preemptive military strike on North Korea as strategic-diplomatic options to deal with the Kim Jong-un regime and Iran narrow. North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-12 Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday for a variety of reasons. First, Pyongyang launched the missile in an operational test, to perfect its long- range ballistic missile technology and we can expect more of the same. Second, Kim Jong-un clearly wanted to

North Korean Update

North Korean Update In response to North Korea’s test-fire of a Hwasong-12 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) that flew over Japan’s northern island Hokkaido two days ago, two US nuclear-capable, strategic B-1 bombers, and four F-35 fighter planes, conducted a joint operation with South Korean fighter aircraft on Thursday. On the military front, the joint air exercises were geared to demonstrate the two countries abilities to carry out a decapitation strike on the No

Kurdish Intelligence: ISIS Leader Baghdadi Alive and Plans to Turn ISIS into Al-Qaeda on Steroid

Kurdish Intelligence: ISIS Leader Baghdadi Alive and Plans to Turn ISIS into Al-Qaeda on Steroid An Iraqi Kurdistan intelligence chief has warned that the Supreme leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is almost certainly still alive despite several reports that he was killed in Syria in June and that he will turn ISIS into al-Qaeda on steroids. It was reported that ISIS brides and family members are fleeing Iraq and Syria and attempting to

ISIS Belgium Based Francophone Attack Cell or ISIS-Inspired ‘Lone Wolf’

ISIS Belgium Based Francophone Attack Cell or ISIS-Inspired ‘Lone Wolf’ A US police officer has been critically wounded after being stabbed in the neck at Bishop international airport, in Michigan, the area has been evacuated. The attacker is under arrest and there are unconfirmed reports that the individual shouted “Allahu Akbar." A terrorist was fatally shot by Belgian soldiers at Brussels Central Train Station on Tuesday after a failed bombing. Belgian police evacuated the

China is Using North Korean Crisis to Its Advantage in the South China Sea

China is Using North Korean Crisis to Its Advantage in the South China Sea North Korea has named its new Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) the Hwasong-12 (KN-17) according to Korean Central News Agency, and said that it can carry a "large scale heavy nuclear warhead." Yesterday Japanese Self Defense Forces clocked the missile as traveling about 500 miles and reaching a height of 1240 miles during a half-hour successful test-flight. If it had been fired at an optimal

Trudeau Needs to Take Note North Korea: Key Foreign Policy Challenge of the Trump Presidency

North Korea continues to be the key foreign policy challenge of the Trump Presidency and China, Russia, Iran, and the world for that matter, are watch to see how the new US administration will react to the challenge. Yesterday, North Korea test-fired what is believed to be new Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from Kusong, sending the weapon higher in altitude than previous tests, and bringing it down in the Sea of Japan near Russia. Japan's Defense Ministry stated

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NORTH KOREA READY TO CARRY OUT NUCLEAR TEST TUESDAY

Deterrence under Trump strengthened not weakened

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Tanker Attacks in the Straits of Hormuz: Iranian Brinksmanship

Kelly Induced Asia Strategic Update

Trudeau Ideology, Mali and Peacekeeping

‘Barking Dogs’ and Trump’s Visit to Asia in the Face of Likely North Korean Provocation

North Korean Tensions Increase Ahead of Trump Visit to China and South Korea

US Prepared to Increase Readiness of Nuclear Triad in the Face of Threats from the Axis of Evil.

North Korea Starts Moving to a War Footing in Last 24 Hours

'Barking Dogs Don't Bite:' Cognitive Dissonance and the North Korean Crisis

October 10th and North Korea’s Next Provocation Missile Test, Nuclear Test, EMP Event?

Parsons Green Terror Attack and North Korean Summary

War on Terror Continues, as Europe Fears Invasion and Asia Heats Up With More Threats From Kim Jong-

September 9th and September 11th Anniversaries to be Key Dates for North Korea and Islamic Terror

North Korean Crisis Update

US Should Bring Back and Forward Deploy the Theatre-level, Nuclear-Tipped, Tomahawk Land Attack Crui

The World is Sleepwalking into a Preemptive Military Strike on North Korea

North Korean Update

Kurdish Intelligence: ISIS Leader Baghdadi Alive and Plans to Turn ISIS into Al-Qaeda on Steroid

ISIS Belgium Based Francophone Attack Cell or ISIS-Inspired ‘Lone Wolf’

China is Using North Korean Crisis to Its Advantage in the South China Sea

Trudeau Needs to Take Note North Korea: Key Foreign Policy Challenge of the Trump Presidency

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NORTH KOREA READY TO CARRY OUT NUCLEAR TEST TUESDAY

Deterrence under Trump strengthened not weakened

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