Category: Uncategorized

I listened to SecWar Hegseth’s speech today and it was actually pretty good. However, what caught my attention was his announcement that state governors can compete to host a new military base that will be home to 15,000 to 25,000 soldiers:

Hegseth invited governors to bidfor their state to be the home of the “next great American” base.

“We’re calling on every governor in the country and adjutant general, every tag across this great republic, to step up to the plate and bring us their best sales pitch,” the Defense secretary said.

“If your state wants the honor of hosting 15,000 to 25,000 of America’s great troops, show us why and how you’re going to do it, cutting through the red tape, offering up the land and rolling out the red carpet for our military families,” he said during the speech. 

Naval Station Everett in Washington state was the most recent base built inside the U.S., opening in the 1990s. The base is home to several guided-missile destroyers and Coast Guard ships.

Hegseth said the new base will not be a “soulless government installation,” arguing the Pentagon will “plan out and chart out a dynamic, self-sustaining power projection platform.” 

The Hill

You can read more at the link, but both the media and Hegseth are wrong about the newest base opened in the U.S., it was not Naval Station Everett. The newest base to open in the U.S. is Camp Blaz on Guam. The camp officially opened in 2023.

Besides people apparently not knowing Guam is part of the United States, what I found interesting about this announcement is what was not said which is where are these up to 25,000 troops coming from? They are not going to move from a base in the U.S. because that would force its closure which means they have to come from troops stationed overseas.

That means the main possibility to withdraw troops from overseas would be from Germany, Korea, or Japan. Fortunately for Korea the recent investment deal in the U.S. and the fact the ROK government built the new Camp Humphreys, makes it unlikely to be the place chosen for troop reductions.

Japan has few Army units and PM Takaichi has a great relationship with Trump. This leaves Germany as the likely target for future force reductions. For those looking for a future Europe assignment it is best get one in soon because in a few years there may be far fewer opportunities to get one.

This sounds like someone from the ROK military invited this person to give gender awareness training that was hijacked into something that went well beyond gender awareness:

It has been belatedly confirmed that the Army conducted training criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for recruits entering a training center last month, while joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises were in full swing. 27th of last month. Lee Hae-kyung, Director of the Gender and Human Rights Education Center and a board member of the Seoul Northeast Women’s Association, stood at the podium. The problem is that Director Lee used controversial remarks by Spanish actor Javier Bardem as lecture material during the session. Attending the Cannes Film Festival last May, Javier Bardem had criticized President Trump, Russian President Putin, and Israeli President Netanyahu, citing “toxic masculinity” as the cause of war. Director Lee filled the chapter titled “Toxic Men Are the Cause of War” in his presentation materials with articles suggesting that the “toxic masculinity” of leaders was the cause of major wars recently occurring around the world.

According to educational materials submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to People Power Party Rep. Park Sung-hoon on the 23rd, lectures titled “The Power to Lead a Strong Military! A Barracks of Trust and Social Respect” were held for 1,600 trainees at the Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 20th and 27th of last month. 

Maeil Shinmun

You can read more at the link.

China is apparently trying to intimidate other South Pacific states from joining Australia’s security alliance:

“China has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.

The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”.

A ⁠test missile topped with ‌a ‌dummy warhead landed ‌in “designated waters” of the Pacific, China’s state news agency Xinhua ‌reported on Monday. The missile test was a “routine arrangement” of China’s annual ⁠military training, with prior notification to relevant countries, Xinhua said.

The Guardian

You can read more at the link.

The U.S. may be open to dialogue, but North Korea has said repeatedly they will not denuclearize and don’t want to talk about it:

The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea “without preconditions,” and committed to the “complete” denuclearization of the recalcitrant country, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.

The spokesperson’s remarks came after Pyongyang’s state media reported Thursday (Seoul time) that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility earlier this week, vowing to “exponentially” strengthen the country’s nuclear arsenal.

“The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions,” the spokesperson said in response to Yonhap News Agency’s request for comment. “The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The natural questions becomes if U.S. troops are cut from Germany will South Korea be next? I don’t think Trump would be able to legally reduce troops in South Korea without the approval of Congress due to legislation passed before he became President:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States is weighing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany, with a decision to be made over “the next short period of time,” after he decried European allies over a lack of support for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post following a recent report by The Wall Street Journal that his administration is considering punishing some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that he perceives as unhelpful to the United States during the war in Iran.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

So will President Lee be saying political violence is a threat to democracy the next time KCTU thugs attack someone?:

 President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday called political violence a “grave threat” to democracy that cannot be justified under any circumstances, following a shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner.

Lee made the remarks after U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday an alleged shooter from California had been apprehended after gunfire erupted at the annual event in Washington.

“Political violence is a grave threat that undermines the very foundation of democracy and can never be justified under any circumstances,” Lee wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter, posted in both Korean and English.

“It is especially regrettable that such an incident occurred at an event meant to reaffirm the role of the press and freedom of speech,” Lee said, adding he is “deeply shocked” by the violent incident.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is some good news for South Korea that should improve their oil situation:

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Sunday that Saudi Arabia has promised to prioritize oil shipments to South Korea as Seoul seeks an alternative route through the Red Sea.

Authorities in Seoul are pushing to dispatch five Korean-flagged vessels to the Saudi port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast to help establish alternative supply routes as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut down amid the Middle East conflict.

“We are preparing measures to allow our vessels to use the Red Sea route, including the possibility of escort operations by the Cheonghae unit’s Dae Joyoung destroyer,” Kim said during a radio interview.

Kim emphasized that Saudi authorities have pledged to allocate shipments to South Korea on a priority basis.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just like I predicted Kim Yo-jong’s recent statement about President Lee would be heralded as peace in our time is near and the North Koreans wasted no time pouring cold water on that assessment:

A North Korean official said Tuesday that a statement by Kim Yo-jong, issued after President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions, should be seen as a clear warning, dismissing Seoul’s response as a “wishful interpretation.”

Jang Kum-chol, North Korea’s first vice foreign minister, issued a statement after Seoul officials positively assessed Kim’s statement Monday. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described Lee as “frank and broad-minded” following his expression of regret over drone incursions by individuals into the North.

Jang said the South Korean side’s interpretation of the statement as an “unprecedented favorable response” would amount to a “pipe dream” and a “wishful interpretation,” 

“The core of the statement was a clear warning,” Jang said, adding that he interpreted Kim Yo-jong’s message as a call for South Korea to acknowledge its “wrongdoing” and refrain from approaching North Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

That is what some are suggesting as the reason why North Korea has increased diplomacy with Russia and China in recent weeks:

North Korea has launched a diplomatic sprint in recent weeks, deepening ties with both China and Russia in what experts describe as a calculated bid to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of any engagement with the United States.

Long regarded as one of the world’s most isolated states — a reputation reinforced by years of pandemic-era border closures — Pyongyang moved quickly to normalize relations with its two most important partners while quietly maintaining outreach to Southeast Asian nations.

The moves come against the backdrop of a planned U.S.-China summit in May that is expected to touch on North Korea’s nuclear program and growing speculation about the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit in the second half of the year.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.