Current Events in Asia-Pacific

Key trends to watch in the Year of the Snake (China Real Time Report blog, Wall Street Journal) Good stuff here if you're pondering a venture into the Westpac battleset.

BBC News link The new leader isn't even 30 and has next to no political experience. No wonder the South are on high alert.

From BBC News Page last updated at 09:54 GMT, Wednesday, 8 July 2009 10:54 UK Kim Jong-il appears at memorial North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has made a rare public appearance for commemorations of the 15th anniversary of his father's death. Observers said he looked gaunt and limped slightly while entering the crammed auditorium where the ceremony was held in the capital Pyongyang. It was the second major state event the 67-year-old has attended since suffering a suspected stroke in August. His poor health has led to concerns of a power struggle if he dies suddenly. Wednesday's memorial came after Pyongyang carried out UN-banned ballistic missile …

From DefenseNews Posted 01/02/08 11:04 Analyst: Kim Jong-Il Still Undecided on Giving up Nukes AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, SEOUL North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has still not decided whether to give up his nuclear weapons despite a disarmament pledge under an international deal, a senior analyst said Jan. 2. Nam Sung-Wook, a North Korea expert at Korea University who advises South Korean President-elect Lee Myung-Bak, said he expects Pyongyang to stall on the disarmament deal after missing a year-end deadline. “National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-Il seems not to have made a decision yet to abandon nuclear weapons,” Nam told SBS radio. Pyongyang will “drag…

From Navy Times Kitty Hawk leaves Japan The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday May 23, 2007 10:19:16 EDT TOKYO — The carrier Kitty Hawk, the Navy’s oldest ship in full active service, embarked on its last major maneuvers Wednesday before being decommissioned next year. The 46-year-old vessel — the only American aircraft carrier permanently deployed abroad — eased out of its berth at the Navy base in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo, escorted by a carrier strike group of cruisers and guided-missile destroyers, Naval spokesman John Nylander said. The voyage, to last several months in the western and central Pacific Ocean, was expected to be the last major mi…

From Navy Times Kitty Hawk visits Sydney on farewell tour By Meraiah Foley - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Jul 5, 2007 9:05:49 EDT ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK — The Navy’s oldest ship in full active service pulled into Sydney Harbor on Thursday for a farewell visit, following its final military exercises before being decommissioned. The carrier Kitty Hawk, based in the Japanese port city of Yokosuka, and its crew of more than 5,500 sailors, docked at the Garden Island naval base along with support ships from its battle group. Thousands of spectators lined the shores of Australia’s biggest city to catch a glimpse of the massive vessel, as a half-do…

From Navy Times Fallon seeks quick agreement on Kitty Hawk replacement Associated Press (Kyodo) The commander of U.S armed forces in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday he wants to reach an early agreement with Japan on a replacement of the retiring Japan-based aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. ”I’d like to have some agreement on the issue with Japan,” Adm. William Fallon, commander of the Hawaii-based Pacific Command, told a House of Representatives Armed Services Committee hearing. With the Kitty Hawk slated for retirement in 2008, Congress is urging the military to quickly set out an overall naval deployment plan to offset China’s growing naval power in …

From Navy Times Kitty Hawk returns to Japan after China snub By Eric Talmadge - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Nov 27, 2007 6:58:19 EST YOKOSUKA, Japan — The aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and its battle group returned to Japan on Tuesday after being refused entry for a port call in Hong Kong, where the ships were set to mark Thanksgiving. The Kitty Hawk, which has its home port in this city just south of Tokyo, was forced to return to Japan early when Chinese authorities at the last minute refused to allow the warship and its escort vessels to enter Hong Kong harbor. “We are befuddled at this point,” said battle group commander Rear Adm. Rick Wren. …

Is North Korea Working Toward a 'Carrier-Killer' Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile? (The Diplomat)

I know radar ranges are ever contested, and usually don't write about it to avoid irresoluble feuds. But the last week discovered one or some Korean Wikipedia editors have detailed some radar ranges compilations and number of T/R modules (From OSINT) on many radar types entries on Korean Wikipedia: https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/SPY-1 And here Chinese radar ranges (Obviously South Koreans are very interested on it!): https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/346%EC%8B%9D_%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4%EB%8D%94

From DefenseNews Kyrgyzstan Moves To Shut Key U.S. Base By TOLKUN NAMATBAYEVA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 4 Feb 07:40 EST (12:40 GMT) BISHKEK - Kyrgyzstan's government on Feb. 4 approved the closure of a U.S. airbase on its territory used as a vital supply route for Western military operations in Afghanistan. The decision by the Central Asian state came as a snub to the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, who has singled out Afghanistan as the main front in U.S. military operations overseas and plans to deploy 30,000 more troops there over the next 18 months. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure a day earlier in Moscow…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-19/work-begins-on-us-jet-fuel-facility-outside-darwin/100764194

LCS Freedom Arrives in Singapore (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog)

First Littoral Combat Ship Loses, Regains Power (Aviation Week)

Leader Vows To Modernize Military Cites global ‘trends’ in need for able army By Scott McDonald, Associated Press BEIJING — China’s sprawling military will speed up its modernization during the next five years, increasingly adopting high-tech battle systems and upgrading training, President Hu Jintao said yesterday. In his keynote speech at the opening of the Communist Party Congress, held every five years, Mr. Hu said he was committed to making China’s military more modern. “In keeping with the new trends in world military affairs and the new requirements of China’s development, we must promote innovation in military theory, technology, organization a…

From http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/138701/lhd-begins-final-leg-of-journey-to-australia.html [excerpt]

A great and detailed article in the US amphibious air wing, centered on the its current and future use as "Lightning Carriers" with F-35B (many ideas for scenarios): https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27253/u-s-amphibious-assault-ship-in-south-china-sea-with-unprecedentedly-large-load-of-f-35bs

http://alert5.com/2012/09/25/breaking-varyag-is-named-liaoning-officially-inducts-into-plan/

Interesting data on Z-18F and Liaoning air wing composition: http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2016/december-2016-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/4706-plan-z-18f-helicopter-in-asw-configuration-with-two-torpedoes-spotted-for-the-first-time-in-china.html