Effective immediately, fully vaccinated USFK affiliated personnel who are at least 2 weeks beyond their final dose of an FDA/KDCA authorized vaccine are no longer required to wear a mask indoors or outdoors on USFK installations in alignment with the DoD’s new policy. pic.twitter.com/7v2ZXaNd2d
The Chinese had made their viewpoint known to Bangladesh on any dialogue with “The Quad”:
The image captured from the website of the U.S. Department of State shows spokesman Ned Price speaking in a press briefing at the State Department in Washington on May 11, 2021. (Yonhap)
A U.S. State Department spokesman rebutted a Chinese diplomat’s warning for countries to stay away from the U.S.-led regional forum, Quad, on Tuesday, saying the Quad is an informal but essential mechanism to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Ned Price made the remark after the Chinese ambassador in Bangladesh, Li Jing, said in a statement that the South Asian country should not join the Quad or its relations with China will “substantially be damaged.”
“We have taken note of that statement from the PRC ambassador to Bangladesh. What we would say is that we respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty and we respect Bangladesh’s rights to make foreign policy decisions for itself,” the department spokesman said in a press briefing.
Calling for pardon for Samsung leader Residents and officials of the southeastern county of Uiryeong, the birthplace of the late Samsung founder Lee Byung-cheol, call for President Moon Jae-in to pardon imprisoned Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong during a rally on May 12, 2021. (Yonhap)
It does seem like the future of warfare is leaning towards using more unmanned equipment:
Hyundai Rotem’s HR-Sherpa [HYUNDAI ROTEM]
“Unmanned” is the latest buzzword among the world’s militaries, and Korean defense companies are wading deep into the race of developing remotely controlled and artificial intelligence-powered weapons both at home and abroad.
With the support of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Hanwha Defense and Hyundai Rotem have developed advanced military hardware, such as optionally manned and unmanned fighting vehicles, to better brace for evolving future battle environments.
Under a rapid acquisition project worth 26 billion won ($22.8 million), DAPA in October decided to buy 12 military items that employ state-of-the-art technologies, such as remote control and autonomous driving powered by artificial intelligence. The agency launched the rapid acquisition project to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies for military purposes.
President Biden is sending one of his buddies to Japan:
In this Jan. 15, 2017, file photo, then Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks during a news conference in Chicago. (AP Photo)
President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, according to a person familiar with the president’s decision.
The person, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday, said the White House plans to announce Emanuel’s nomination later this month.
Emanuel is a former three-term congressman who served as Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff and was a senior adviser in Bill Clinton’s administration. Biden had considered naming Emanuel to serve as his transportation secretary but ultimately passed him over in the face of fierce opposition from some in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and liberal activists.
You can read more at the link, but a good thing about being an ambassador to Japan is that if he needs to send a dead fish to anyone they will be easy find.
I wonder if anyone on the Korean left is going to claim this is training to assault Dokdo:
American, Japanese, French and Australian commanders salute their flags during the opening ceremony for exercise Jeanne D’Arc at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Japan, Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
French forces are training on Japanese soil for the first time during drills this week that will include beach raids alongside U.S. Marines and Japanese amphibious troops supported by an Australian frigate.
The Jeanne D’Arc 21 exercise began Tuesday at Camp Ainoura, home of Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade at Sasebo in Nagasaki prefecture, III Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement Wednesday.
The brigade, modeled on U.S. Marines, has about 100 people in the exercise, including infantry, engineers and command and control troops, according to Marine Capt. Thomas Delaney, a firepower control team leader on Kyushu.
U.S. intelligence chief visits Seoul U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines enters a hotel in Seoul on May 12, 2021. She flew in from Japan earlier in the day for talks with Seoul officials, as South Korea and the United States seek to ensure a coordinated approach to North Korea and prepare for an upcoming summit between their leaders. (Yonhap)
It is hard for the Kim regime to accept COVID vaccines when they are probably getting ready to start a provocation cycle in time for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics:
The U.S. is making efforts to facilitate talks with North Korea with an offering of COVID-19 vaccines, but the probability of Pyongyang accepting this offer seems to be low, given the Kim Jong-un regime’s ignoring of humanitarian aid offers and its strict quarantine policy.
Experts said Wednesday the U.S. move can be interpreted as a tactic of showing various benefits available to the North if it joins the party, in the wake of the Joe Biden administration’s new North Korea policy. However, they have expressed doubts whether the North will find the vaccine offer attractive, as the regime seeks to be on equal footing with Washington and has not been acting desperate for vaccines.
![Hyundai Rotem's HR-Sherpa [HYUNDAI ROTEM]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2021/05/12/8238c8ae-90bf-46ab-9307-c73945988e8d.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
