U.S., South Korea Cancel Major War Game Planned for August
Gordon Lubold and Michael R. Gordon | Wall Street Journal
The Pentagon said Monday that it had agreed with South Korea to cancel an important military exercise that was scheduled for later this summer, in keeping with President Donald Trump’s pledge to halt war games while talks are under way with North Korea. Thousands of American and South Korean troops were expected to participate in the exercise, the American portion of which is called Freedom Guardian.
North Korea’s Kim Makes Another Trip to China. That Complicates Things for Trump.
Emily Rauhala | Washington Post
Kim arrived on Tuesday for his third visit to China in the span of three months, meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, in the heart of Beijing. The visit comes a week after President Trump met with Kim in Singapore and a day after the United States confirmed it will cancel what Trump called “war games” with South Korea scheduled for August.
What Trump’s Space Force Announcement Means
Marcus Weisgerber and Patrick Tucker | Defense One
Donald Trump said Monday that he had directed the Pentagon to establish a Space Force, describing it as a sixth branch of the U.S. military. It would be the first time the Pentagon has stood up a new service since the Air Force received its independence after World War II.
Russia Upgrades Nuclear Weapons Storage Site in Kaliningrad
Hans M. Kristensen | Federation of American Scientists
During the past two years, the Russian military has carried out a major renovation of what appears to be an active nuclear weapons storage site in the Kaliningrad region, about 50 kilometers from the Polish border. A Digital Globe satellite image purchased via Getty Images, and several other satellite images viewable on TerraServer, show one of three underground bunkers near Kulikovo being excavated in 2016, apparently renovated, and getting covered up again in 2018 presumably to return operational status soon.
Seoul Says North Korea Sanctions May Be Eased Before Full Denuclearization
Channel NewsAsia
South Korea said on Monday (Jun 18) that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes “substantive steps towards denuclearization”, seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington for such a move. Last week’s Singapore summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced only a vague statement in which Kim “reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
SIPRI: Nuclear Weapons Are Still Being Developed
Nina Werkhäuser | Deutsche Welle
Last year was a special year for those in favor of nuclear disarmament. A total of 122 UN member states signed a pledge not to produce or possess nuclear weapons. However, this has not brought the goal of a nuclear-free world much closer. According to the latest estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, while the total number of nuclear weapons has fallen slightly compared to the previous year, existing weapons have been modernized.