On December 11-12, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly ordered state scientists to develop their largest rocket yet. According to a defector knowledgeable about the regime’s missile and space launch programs, the rocket will likely be designated the Unha-4 and is planned to be ready for launch on September 9, the 70th anniversary of the...
Japan’s Cabinet approved a plan to purchase two Aegis Ashore systems on Tuesday in response to the growing North Korean missile threat. During a press conference, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera stated, “We cannot say what the final costs will be, but we will move ahead [to introduce Aegis Ashore] on the fastest possible schedule, given...
The Japanese Defense Ministry has requested an additional 730 million yen (6.4 million USD) in the FY 2018 defense budget to begin building two land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense systems. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters on Sunday that, “There is a need to strengthen our capability to regularly and sustainably defend all of the...
For the next two days, the United States, Japan, and South Korea will conduct a joint missile tracking exercise in the Sea of Japan. The exercise will include Aegis-equipped destroyers conducting computer-simulated training for submarine missile launches by North Korea, according to South Korean military officials. The drill comes as experts speculate that North Korea...
Japanese government officials have announced a 2.9 trillion yen (25.9 billion USD) supplementary budget for missile defense and other programs related to North Korea that will be submitted for approval for the fiscal year through March. According to an unnamed source, Japan is also considering the acquisition of strike missiles, including the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff...
Following North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the state-run KCTV news agency released a statement designating the missile as the Hwasong-15. Of note, the statement also claimed the missile is “tipped with [a] super-large heavy warhead” and can reach any portion of the continental United States. The statement elaborated: “The development and advancement...
On November 28, North Korea conducted what is believed to be its third test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Launched from the vicinity of Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, the missile flew for 50 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The South Korean military said the missile reached...
38 North, a North Korea monitoring group, has released satellite imagery of the Sinpo South Shipyard indicating the country is pursuing “an aggressive schedule to build and deploy its first operational ballistic missile submarine.” Taken on November 5, the images show sections of a submarine’s hull that possibly will be used for North Korea’s SINPO-C...
On November 2, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) finished installing the 44th Ground-based Interceptor (GBI) at the Missile Defense Complex at Fort Greely, Alaska, completing the deployment of 14 additional GBIs ordered by President Obama in 2013. The final emplacement occurred just ahead of the year-end deadline. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system is designed to...
On November 6, the White House submitted an FY18 emergency budget request for the Department of Defense for $5.9 billion in additional funding “to support urgent missile defeat and defense enhancements to counter the threat from North Korea.” Most of this request, $4 billion, is designated for missile defeat and defense activities. $2.1 billion would...
