Lawmaker Drops Bombshell: North Korea may have nuclear missiles

An unclassified Pentagon report not yet released to the public suggests that North Korea can arm missiles with nuclear warheads, a lawmaker revealed Thursday.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey was testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Department’s fiscal 2014 budget request. He was also asked about the situation in North Korea.

So much for North Korea …. not being able to have weaponized nukes..

The results of a classified Defense Intelligence Agency report indicate that “North Korea now has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles.”

That was the bombshell out of a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

It came when Rep. Doug Lamborn (R) of Colorado began quoting from what he said was an unclassified version of the DIA report, which has not yet been made public.

U.S. Speeds Missile Defense to Guam After North Korea Bars South’s Workers

The United States announced Wednesday that it was speeding the deployment of an advanced missile defense system to Guam in the next few weeks, two years ahead of schedule in what the Pentagon said was “a precautionary move” to protect American naval and air forces from the threat of a North Korean missile attack.

The system — called Thaad, for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense — was scheduled for deployment around 2015.

THAAD Luancher

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is a United States Army system to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. The missile carries no warhead but relies on the kinetic energy of the impact. THAAD was designed to hit Scuds and similar weapons, but a limited capability against ICBMs was demonstrated on 24 October 2012.
The THAAD system is being designed, built, and integrated by Lockheed Martin Space Systems acting as prime contractor. Key subcontractors include Raytheon, Boeing, Aerojet, Rocketdyne, Honeywell, BAE Systems, MiltonCAT, and the Oliver Capital Consortium. One THAAD system costs USD $800 million.[2]

The London Telegraph reports — (the USA media was too busy drying off their tongues):

The decision to deploy it now was the latest in a series of steps intended to deter the North from either military action or new missile tests and came only hours after the latest North Korean provocation, with officials blocking South Koreans from crossing the border to enter a jointly operated industrial park.

The North had threatened the move in reaction to taunts from the South Korean news media that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, had cut hot lines and other communications across the border, but did not want to risk one of his most precious sources of hard currency. The border has been sealed before, but the move against the operations at the industrial park that employs roughly 53,000 North Koreans raised doubt about the future of the last remaining major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

In recent weeks, the North has repeatedly threatened that, if provoked, it could target United States forces in Guam and Hawaii as well as the mainland United States — a threat it repeated Thursday.

North Korea Tensions: Russia’s Lavrov Fears ‘Spiral’

The BBC reports:

Kim Jong-un signed an order putting rockets on stand-by after meeting generals.

• What is driving Pyongyang’s threats?
• Anxiety in South over rhetoric
• How potent are the threats?
• Do sanctions persuade or provoke?

Russia has warned of tensions in North Korea slipping out of control, after Pyongyang said it was placing its missile units on stand-by.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the situation could slip “toward the spiral of a vicious circle”.

Kim Jong-un made the missile order after talks responding to US stealth bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, state news agency KCNA said.

The time had come to “settle accounts” with the US, KCNA quoted him as saying.

Annual military drills and fresh UN sanctions have angered North Korea.

After a late-night meeting with the army’s strategic rocket force, Kim Jong-un “judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists”, KCNA reported.

Continue reading the main story

DHS Under Fire for Buying Another 360,000 Bullets ‘to save money’

Austerity is here, we need more ammo, right now.

The US Department of Homeland Security has bought 360,000 rounds of hollow point bullets, in addition to over 1.5 billion rounds bought last year. Congress has questioned the purpose of the ammo, while the DHS claimed it bought in bulk to economize.

The federal agency’s purchasing plan is detailed on the Federal Business Opportunities page. The 360,000 bullets were ordered only a month after 240,000 rounds of ammunition arrived at the same Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico.

Despite claims by DHS that the ammunition is being bought in bulk to save money, experts say hollow point bullets are almost twice as expensive as full metal jacket rounds.

The DHS plans to buy more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition over the next four or five years . As for the hollow point bullets, they are allegedly purchased for training. However, former Marine Richard Mason told WHPTV news, “We never trained with hollow points, we didn’t even see hollow points my entire four-and-a-half years in the Marine Corps.”

Marines have also expressed concern over the extent of the DHS purchasing spree, with Marine Corps Commandant James F. Amos saying that soldiers are frequently forced to save bullets, according to WND.com.

Congress is currently questioning DHS over the purchase, with Kansas Congressman Timothy Huelscamp pointing out that the government should threaten to curb DHS funding unless it explains why the bullets were purchased, Infowars.com reported.

This comes amid sequester cuts signed by President Obama three weeks ago, with $85 billion to be slashed from this year’s budget and funding for a number of government departments slashed immediately; almost half of those cuts will be imposed on the Pentagon.

 

Practice Run: U.S. bombers fly partice Nuclear Strikes in Korea

Well isn’t this a fine mess you have Mr Obama?

Bill Gertz writes:

United States B-52 bombers carried out simulated nuclear bombing raids on North Korea as part of ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercises, Pentagon officials said on Monday.

Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters that B-52 bombers from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, conducted a training mission over South Korea March 8 during war games known as Exercise Foal Eagle.

“It’s not any secret that we are in the midst of sending a very strong signal that we have a firm commitment to the alliance with our South Korean allies,” Little said.

Deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter said during a visit to South Korea on Monday that the bomber flights are part of the U.S. “extended deterrence”—the use of U.S. nuclear forces to deter North Korea, which conducted its third underground nuclear test Feb. 12.

“I should note the presence of strategic bombers taking place in flight training in the Korea peninsula area in particular, for example, but this is routine. There will be a B-52 flight tomorrow,” Carter said in Seoul.

The bomber flights are part of increased training efforts that seek to show U.S. resolve in protecting South Korea, Little said.

The B-52 flights are part of the U.S. Pacific Command program called Continuous Bomber Presence.

Little said the Guam base has been used since 2004 for strategic bomber rotational deployments. “The B-52 Stratofortress can perform a variety of missions including carrying precision-guided conventional or nuclear ordnance,” Little said. “We will continue to fly these training missions as part of our ongoing actions to enhance our strategic posture in the Asia-Pacific region.”

It is unusual for the Pentagon to make such overt statements about the use of strategic nuclear forces in Asia Pacific.

I don’t think a golf game with Tiger Woods will work this time.

Venezuelan President Maduro Accuses Obama of Plot to Kill His Pro-Democracy Opponent

Something is fishey … And if he dies who is to blame. Why the Americans of course. American Hatred is always a big dumb crowd pleaser to ignorant South Americans. Chavez rode that horse right to his grave.

Venezuelan acting President Nicolas Maduro accused Barack Obama today of plotting to kill the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.

Reuters reported:

Venezuela’s acting president urged U.S. leader Barack Obama to stop what he called a plot by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to kill his opposition rival and trigger a coup before an April 14 election.

Nicolas Maduro said the plan was to blame his opponent’s murder on the OPEC nation’s government and to “fill Venezuelans with hate” as they prepare to go to vote following the death of socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

Maduro first mentioned a plot against his rival, Henrique Capriles, last week, blaming it on former Bush administration officials Roger Noriega and Otto Reich. Both rejected the allegations as untrue, outrageous and defamatory.

“I call on President Obama – Roger Noriega, Otto Reich, officials at the Pentagon and at the CIA are behind a plan to assassinate the right-wing presidential candidate to create chaos,” Maduro said in a TV interview broadcast on Sunday.

Maduro, who is Chavez’s preferred successor, said the purpose of the plot was to set off a coup and that his information came from “a very good source.”

Remember this Maduro fellow was Chavezhand picked successor. Venezuela was a democracy before HCvez convinced to dumb and poor to vote him in. All he did was steal the money for himself.

VFW and Congressional Members Join in Protest of Obama’s New Drone Strike Medal

Team Obama recently created a new drone strike medal and placed it above the Purple Heart for those soldiers and Marines serving in the field. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has introduced legislation to require that the Purple Heart occupy a position of precedence above the new Distinguished Warfare Medal. The bipartisan bill has 42 cosponsors including a few Democrats.
The Army Times reported:

The 1.9 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars is being mobilized by the group’s commander-in-chief to overturn a Pentagon decision to rank a new medal for drone operations higher in precedence than the Purple Heart.

In a message to all post, district and department managers, Vietnam veteran and former Marine John Hamilton says he wants every member of the nation’s largest organization for combat veterans to support House and Senate bills that would make certain the new Distinguished Warfare Medal ranks below the Purple Heart.

Defense Department officials, so far unswayed by complaints, want the new medal for cyber warriors and drone operators ranked ninth in order of precedence, ahead of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

“I cannot tell you how displeased I am with the new defense secretary for not overriding what has proven to be an extremely divisive decision by his predecessor, but the buck has not stopped yet,” Hamilton says in the letter.

There are 42 cosponsors of HR 833 and 11 cosponsors of S 470, similar bills ordering the Defense Department to reduce the ranking of the new medal.

“We have many friends in Congress who agree 100 percent with our position,” Hamilton said, “but the VFW needs you to get the other members of Congress off their duffs.

The VFW added this in their action alert:

The newly created medal would outrank the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. The VFW immediately came out in opposition of the placement of the medal. We believe it is very important to properly recognize all who serve and excel, but the new medal could spark internal debate and deteriorate morale as it leapfrogs more than a dozen current medals and ribbons – to include valor and combat injury awards.

Obama to cut medical benefits for active, retired military, not union workers

“The proposed increases in health care payments by service members, which must be approved by Congress, are part of the Pentagon’s $487 billion cut in spending. It seeks to save $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.

Not everybody is happy with the plan, however.

Military personnel would see their annual Tricare premiums increase anywhere from 30 – 78 percent in the first year, followed by sharply increased premiums “ranging from 94 percent to 345 percent—more than 3 times current levels.”

“According to congressional assessments, a retired Army colonel with a family currently paying $460 a year for health care will pay $2,048,” Gertz wrote.

Read more at examiner.com ..

THE NAVY’S NEW ANTI-SHIP MISSILE GETS A BIG BOOST

Earlier this week Lockheed Martin received a new, $71 million contract to continue work on its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.

The contract awarded from the Pentagon’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will allow more testing and risk assessment for the LRASM.

LRASM is an autonomous, precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile based on the successful JASSM-ER, and is designed to meet the needs of U.S. Navy and Air Force warfighters. LRASM is in development with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research.

Russians Conduct Huge Nuke Drill

Russian nuclear forces conducted a major exercise last month that tested the transport of both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons near Europe, according to United States officials.

The exercise raised concerns inside the Pentagon and with the U.S. European Command because it was the largest exercise of its kind in 20 years and involved heightened alert status of Russian nuclear forces.

The nuclear drills were part of other military maneuvers in Russia carried out between Feb. 17 and Feb. 21.

The exercises followed a recent surge in Russian strategic bomber flights that include a recent circling of the U.S. Pacific island of Guam by two Tu-95 Bear bomber and simulated bombing runs by Tu-95s against Alaska and California in June and July.

Read more here …