Entire
Senate being called to White House for North Korea briefing
24
April, 2017
The
entire U.S. Senate has been invited to the White House for a briefing
Wednesday on the North Korea situation, amid escalating tensions over
the country’s missile tests and bellicose rhetoric.
White
House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed the upcoming briefing,
for all 100 senators, on Monday.
Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford and Director of
National Intelligence Dan Coats plan to provide the update to
lawmakers.
It
is rare for the entire Senate to be invited to such a briefing.
Spicer
clarified that while the event will take place on the White House
campus, it is technically a Senate briefing and Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, R-Ky., is the one who convened it.
The
briefing, first reported by Reuters, was confirmed after President
Trump earlier spoke to the leaders of both China and Japan.
Trump
spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe.
Xi
told Trump that China strongly opposed North Korea’s nuclear
weapons program and hoped “all parties will exercise restraint and
avoid aggravating the situation,” according to Chinese broadcaster
CCTV. Trump hopes China could increase pressure on its isolated ally
instead of using military options or trying to overthrow Kim Jong
Un’s regime.
Trump
and Abe agreed to urge North Korea to refrain from provocative
actions.
Meanwhile,
U.S. commercial satellite images indicated increased activity around
North Korea’s nuclear test site, while Kim has said that the
country’s preparation for an ICBM launch is in its “final stage.”
South
Korea’s Defense Ministry has said the North appears ready to
conduct such "strategic provocations" at any time. South
Korean Acting Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has instructed his
military to strengthen its "immediate response posture" in
case North Korea does something significant on the April 25
anniversary of its military. North Korea often marks significant
dates by displaying military capability.
On
Monday, Trump also had lunch with ambassadors of countries on the
U.N. Security Council. Ahead of the meeting, Trump called for “big
reforms” at the U.N. and criticizing its handling of recent events
in Syria and North Korea – but said it has “tremendous
potential.”
"You
just don't see the United Nations, like, solving conflicts. I think
that's going to start happening now," he said.
Trouble
Coming! President Trump Summons all 100 US Senators to White House
for Classified North Korea Briefing
24
April, 2017
Top
Trump administration officials will brief all 100 senators next week
about North Korea's provocative behavior, according to guidance sent
to lawmakers Friday.
Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford and Director of National
Intelligence Dan Coats will meet with senators at the White House on
Wednesday to bring them up to speed on North Korea and U.S. policy
toward the isolated nation.
The
briefing had been originally scheduled to occur at the Senate, but
instead senators must go to the White House, according to a notice
sent to Capitol Hill.
No
congressional staffers will be allowed in the members' briefing.
In
addition to discussing North Korea's belligerent behavior, lawmakers
are also likely to question the administration on its response.
White
House officials had said earlier this month that the United States
was quickly sending an aircraft carrier to the region after a North
Korean missile test, but later backtracked after the carrier was
spotted thousands of miles away from its expected location near North
Korea
The
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 successfully
completed "Blue Water Certification" meaning the carrier
and its Strike Group can depart the US West Coast for . . . . .
Korea, perhaps?
A
nuclear-powered submarine is joining the USS Carl Vinson near North
Korea as tensions flare
25
April, 2017
SEALs
and divers from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDVT) 1 swim back to the
guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) during an exercise
for certification on SEAL delivery vehicle operations in the southern
Pacific Ocean.
The
USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine armed with guided Tomahawk
cruise missiles, will join the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier off
the Korean peninsula, UPI reports.
The
Michigan, which is armed with more than 150 Tomahawks, should arrive
in the area on Tuesday, the same day that North Korea will
commemorate the 85th anniversary of the founding of its army. The
Vinson is also expected to be in the area sometime this week.
Some
North Korea watchers speculate that the Kim regime may use this
occasion to test a nuclear device, which experts say they could do at
any time.
North
Korean media has already reacted harshly to the Vinson’s
deployment, calling it “an extremely dangerous act by those who
plan a nuclear war to invade,” adding that “what’s only laid
for aggressors is dead bodies.”
North
Korea is the only country to have tested nuclear weapons in the 21st
century, and such a step would be seen as a major provocation to US
forces in the area and South Koreans, who have placed their military
on high alert. North Korea fields a single, antiquated submarine,
showed off an advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile at a
recent military parade.
US
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the
phone about North Korea’s “continued belligerence” on Monday.
The White House plans to host all members of the Senate for a
briefing on North Korea on Wednesday.
A
nuclear-powered U.S. submarine is to arrive at the South Korean port
city of Busan on Tuesday, the same day North Korea is expected to
commemorate the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean
People's Army.
The
USS Michigan, the second Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided missile
submarine in the U.S. Navy, is to make a visit to South Korea to send
a strong message of warning to Pyongyang.
The
U.S. supercarrier Carl Vinson is also expected to arrive near the
peninsula this week, a move that is being met with threats from North
Korea.
"Our
revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier with a single strike," the North Korean Rodong
Sinmun stated in an editorial.
A
South Korean military official who spoke anonymously said the
Michigan will receive a hull inspection upon arrival at Busan port,
then leave for training exercises in waters near the Korean
peninsula.
According
to a second source who spoke to the Donga, the submarine will join
the Carl Vinson strike group and carry out surveillance missions.
It
is also likely the submarine will conduct exercises with the South
Korean navy, the source said.
The
Michigan has a displacement of more than 18,000 tons when submerged
and, at 560 feet long and 42 feet wide, is one of the largest
submarines in the world.
It
can travel at speeds of 29 miles per hour and can stay submerged for
up to three months.
The
submarine is equipped with about 150 Tomahawk missiles that can hit
targets up to 990 miles away, plus four torpedo tubes (2 front, 2
rear) and can carry out a range of missions including anti-submarine
warfare and reconnaissance.
UN
to Have "Ministerial Level" Meeting Friday about Korea
US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will Chair a Ministerial-level
meeting of the United Nations this coming Friday. The topic of the
meeting will be the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
U.S.
Ambassador Nikki Haley made the announcement Monday, saying the April
28 meeting will be an important follow-up to this weekend's talks
between President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at
the U.S. leader's resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump
said ahead of the meeting that China has great influence over North
Korea and he wants Xi to help the U.S. denuclearize the reclusive
northeast Asian nation. If the Chinese leader won't, Trump said he
can handle the problem without Beijing.
Haley,
the Security Council president this month, said the focus of the
April 28 meeting will depend a lot on the outcome of the Xi-Trump
talks.
"The
United States has seen China for 25 plus years say that they're
concerned about North Korea but we haven't seen them act like they're
concerned about North Korea," she said. "This
administration wants to see them act, and I think they're going to
pressure them to do that."
"We
all hope ... that we see some real partnership and working together,"
Haley said.
NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR STANDOFF: TRUMP SUMMONS ENTIRE SENATE AND ...
NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR STANDOFF: TRUMP
SUMMONS ENTIRE SENATE AND U.N. SECURITY
COUNCIL TO WHITE HOUSE
NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR STANDOFF: TRUMP SUMMONS ENTIRE SENATE AND ...
NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR STANDOFF: TRUMP
SUMMONS ENTIRE SENATE AND U.N. SECURITY
COUNCIL TO WHITE HOUSE
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