The Daily Beast: The U.S. military insisted Wednesday that it was was not surprised “strategically” by North Korea’s test of a nuclear device. But Pentagon and intelligence officials admitted that they were caught off guard by the specific timing of the detonation. One U.S. defense official told The Daily Beast that the Hermit Kingdom’s test… read more
Today: BRUSSELS – North Korea must end its nuclear weapons program, NATO’s chief said on Wednesday, adding the U.S.-led alliance’s voice to international condemnation of Pyongyang’s reported test of a hydrogen bomb. “North Korea should abandon nuclear weapons and existing nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and engage in… read more
New York Times: WASHINGTON – North Korea declared on Tuesday that it had detonated its first hydrogen bomb. The assertion, if true, would dramatically escalate the nuclear challenge from one of the world’s most isolated and dangerous states. In an announcement, North Korea said that the test had been a “complete success.” But it was difficult… read more
NBC News: DUBAI — Iran unveiled a new underground missile depot Tuesday, with state television showing weapons in store that the United States says are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Emad precision-guided missiles shown in the footage also violate a 2010 United Nations Security Council resolution. The defiant move to publicize Iran’s missile program… read more
The Diplomat: On December 5, China conducted a launcher test of a new rail-mobile version of its newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the DF-41 (CSS-X-20), IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly reports. A DF-41 also underwent a flight test on the previous day (December 4) the publication states based on information obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.… read more
Reuters: The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it was in discussions with other U.S. agencies on imposing sanctions against Iran for an Oct. 10 ballistic missile tests by Tehran that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. “We are fully prepared to use sanctions with respect to this most recent ballistic missile test (and) are still… read more
International Business Times: North Korean military conducted an ejection test for a ballistic missile from a submarine last month but the test was unsuccessful, a South Korean military official reportedly said Wednesday. The news comes even as Pyongyang announced that it successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test, soon after a man-made earthquake was reported in Pekam county in Yangkang… read more
Military Times: SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang’s quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. South Korea’s spy agency and outside nuclear experts cast strong doubt, however, saying the estimated explosive… read more
Free Beacon: North Korea’s military carried out a successful ejection test of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile recently, an indication that an earlier test failure has not derailed the underwater missile program, U.S. defense officials said. The test of the submarine-launched missile, or SLBM, which the Pentagon has called the KN-11, from a submerged submarine… read more
Military Times: PARIS — The French military says its warplanes have destroyed a site in Syria used by Islamic State extremists to produce missiles and store weapons. The Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday that the overnight airstrikes targeted a site east of Aleppo, in an operation conducted by Rafale fighter jets using SCALP… read more