North Korea-US Summit Doomed to Failure
This will come as no surprise, but on North Korea I remain a sceptic. Will there be a US-North Korean summit? Yes potentially. Will it result in the end of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, long-range ballistic missile program, and size able chemical and biological weapons arsenal? The answer is a clear No. Will it be the end of the Kim Jong-un regime? No! Will US troops remain in South Korea? Yes. For all the political posturing going on in the US and the Far East it is
John Bolton A Great Addition to Team Trump
Ambassador John Bolton will be a welcome addition to Team Trump and the White House as US National Security Adviser. First, John Bolton is a Yale-trained lawyer with a mind like a 'steel trap,' forty-years-experience serving several US Republican Presidents, and a 'conservative hawk.' There is nothing 'slow pitch' about John Bolton. He has served as US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and UN Ambassador among many other posts. Bolton knows Washington, DC, like the bac
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
The Trump Administration 2019 Fiscal Defense Budget Geared to Deterrence and Defeating Rogue Regiona
The Trump Administration’s 2019 budget request reportedly includes almost $686 billion in new equipment and munitions to position the US military for a global fight against the Russia and China and rogue regional states such as Iran and North Korea, while continuing global counter terrorism operations. The request includes $617 billion in base funding and $69 billion in cap-exempt wartime funds, to support and initiate the $716 billion national security program. The budget pl
Trump Administration Nuclear Posture Review A Strategic Triumph
The Trump administration Nuclear Posture Review has finally given the long-overdue strategic guidance to deter Putin’s Russia in Europe, China in the South China Sea and Indian sub-continent, Iran in the Middle East, and North Korea. The return of the nuclear-tipped, Sea Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) to the US strategic deterrent will send shock waves through the military high commands of America’s great power strategic competitors, and its rogue state opponents, not felt si
North Korea Test-Fires ICBM That Can Strike the Entire Continental US, Europe and Australia
North Korea test-fired an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) at approximately 3 am local time from a launch site just north of the capital Pyongyang. It flew 50 minutes on a lofted trajectory to 4500 kilometers above the earth and landed 1000 kilometers away in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. This is significantly higher in altitude than the successful Hwasong-14 ICBM test in July at 2802 kilometers. Estimates of range vary, but one credible source puts the range a
ISIS Challenging Al Qaeda for Dominance in Somalia and Yemen, Zimbabwe Ready for a Coup, North Korea
In Africa, the Zimbabwean Army Commander, General Constantino Chiwenga, has warned those responsible for "purging" the country's ruling Zanu-PF Party to stop, or the military will intervene. The warning comes one week after President Robert Mugabe sacked his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa. There are now unconfirmed reports of tanks blocking routes in and out of the capital and that the main radio station has been seized. On the terrorism front, the US has carried out drone strikes
Time to Check Iranian Power Before it is Too Late
Time to Check Iranian Power Before it is Too Late What does the forced resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s purge of royal princes, politicians, military commanders, business leaders, and religious elite have in common? The answer is Iran. Iran is the elephant in the Middle East living room. Right now, the struggle between a crumbling Saudi-led Sunni Middle East regional order and a Shiite-led Irania
‘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,
