North Korea Cool to Seoul’s Weapons Proposal

Wi Sung-lac, South Korean envoy to the six-Party talks

SEOUL—The South Korean diplomat who met North Korean officials last week said Friday that they reacted coolly to Seoul’s proposals for an aid-for-weapons deal.

El Paso Native Selected for Promotion to Major General

An El Paso native whose Army career is opening doors for women in the service has been nominated for promotion to major general, the Defense Department announced on Wednesday.

U.S. in Talks With NATO States on Deployment of Radar System in Europe

 

Mark Toner, State Dept. spokesman

The United States is in talks with a number of NATO states on the deployment of a radar system as part of its mooted missile shield in Europe, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State said.

Government Sets Terms for Missile Interceptor Transfer

Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) with Aegis BMD provides global defense against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles with its demonstrated lethal hit-to-kill capability

Japan would allow the United States to transfer a missile interceptor under joint development by the two nations to third parties, on the condition that the third parties can effectively control its re-export, according to draft guidelines compiled by the government.

Iran Lagging in Enrichment Plans

 

VIENNA (AP) — Diplomats say Iran is lagging behind on plans to increase production of uranium enriched to a grade that can be turned quickly into the material used to arm nuclear warheads.

Vietnam, India Boost Naval Ties to Counter China

India and Vietnam on the map

Even as Vietnam and China continue to conduct tit-for-tat naval maneuvers in the South China Sea, Hanoi has started making direct calls for foreign involvement in the two nations’ maritime territorial dispute. While many commentators saw this as a thinly veiled invitation to the United States, it could also be a precursor to India establishing a permanent presence in Vietnamese waters.

China’s Growing Influence in Asia Poses Challenge, Narayanan

Stating that China boasted of a “superiority complex and a run down attitude of all other countries,” the former Intelligence Bureau chief said it was on its way to becoming an air space power by virtue of its growing precision strike capabilities and modern warfare equipment.

Russia ready to wait for NATO proposals on missile defense until May 2012

Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin regards the next NATO summit in May 2012 in Chicago as a deadline until which the Kremlin will be waiting for the alliance’s proposals on cooperation in developing the European missile defense system. After this deadline, relations between the sides may worsen.

Joint Chiefs Nominee Touts Potential U.S.-Russian Antimissile Initiatives

U.S.-Russian discussions on potential collaborative mechanisms to warn of impending missile attacks could prove “very, very positive,” President Obama’s nominee to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

North Korea predicts new nuclear arms race

North Korea’s U.N. ambassador says U.S. modernization of its nuclear weapons and missile defense systems will eventually spark a new nuclear arms race.