Sentry Staff In a significant move to enhance its national defense capabilities, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense has officially established a strategic command unit to oversee and coordinate the country’s advanced military operations. This initiative marks a pivotal moment for Republic of Korea (ROK) defense, reflecting the nation’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the region amidst growing security challenges. The command is similar to that of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), charged with deterring strategic attacks against the U.S. and its Allies and Partners, Newsweek reported. Unlike USSTRATCOM, the ROK unit won’t involve command of a nuclear arsenal.…
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Sentry Staff The United States Air Force announced it will activate a new wing to increase readiness for emergency security threats. The 95th Wing, under Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), will consolidate all wing command and control (C2) units from the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. This will provide an enterprise view of broad C2 capabilities and improve the ability to lead, advocate and provide for resources, training and readiness. “The creation of the 95th Wing under Air Force Global Strike Command [AFGSC] will enable effective command of forces to ensure readiness, and in time…
Lt. Stephen Schroeder/U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Command Joint Integrated Space Team Pacific The United States and its Allies and Partners are at the forefront of an emerging era of opportunity. Space’s critical role in the global commons has gained considerable attention in recent years, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) guidance has never been clearer: “Space is now a distinct warfighting domain, demanding enterprise-wide changes to policies, strategies, operations, investments, capabilities, and expertise for a new strategic environment,” according to its June 2020 Defense Space Strategy Summary. Allies also identify space’s role in potential conflict, with the Australian government…
Reuters The United States is encouraging the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to break its longstanding resistance to nuclear arms talks, seeing a “limited opportunity” for early two-way conversations on the superpowers’ approach to the issue, a senior U.S. official said. The renewed U.S. push for nuclear talks comes as U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met top Chinese officials in Beijing in August 2024 to resolve differences on a broad range of issues. “We saw some limited opportunity to open, at least the beginnings of conversation on the subject in the last months, but it’s been fits and starts,…
Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Galbraith/United States Navy Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC) recently celebrated 60 years of service supporting the United States’ sea-based nuclear deterrence program. Originally designated Polaris Missile Facility Pacific in 1964 and renamed SWFPAC in 1980, the program owes its success to the people who have dedicated themselves to the mission, said Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., director of U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP). “The foundation that they laid back in the 1960s to assemble the facility, this mission and the first generation of trained people who executed the development, oversight, and surety of the…
Matthew Olay/U.S. Department of Defense News United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Brown and U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), emphasized the need for allied and partner nations and their militaries to harness artificial intelligence and further develop the space domain to meet complex security challenges of the future. The two leaders addressed those topics while delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the South American Defense Conference, or Southdec 2024, in Santiago, Chile, in late August, where the theme was “How We Can Leverage New Technologies for…
Voice of America News As North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs become increasingly sophisticated, U.S.-based experts see the United States shifting the focus of its diplomacy from the pursuit of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to one of deterrence. Officially, the U.S. State Department insists that denuclearization remains the primary goal of Washington and Seoul. In a series of email interviews with Voice of America (VOA) Korean, more than half a dozen experts said they saw little hope at the moment that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be persuaded to abandon his growing nuclear arsenal and that the…
Sentry Staff A United States Air Force Bomber Task Force has deployed to Australia for training exercises for the first time in two years. Three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, Airmen and support equipment from the 509th Bomb Wing (BW) and 131st BW, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri landed at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberly in August 2024 for maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific region. Two KC-135R tankers from the Illinois National Guard accompanied the bombers. The deployment is in support of the Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with Allies and Partners and joint forces to demonstrate interoperability and bolster security…
Sentry Staff The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), supported by the Royal Danish Navy, the United States Navy 2nd Fleet and U.S. Coast Guard, successfully completed Operation Nanook 2024 in August. The annual exercise, the largest of its kind in the Arctic, highlighted the ability of multinational forces to interoperate effectively in the challenging northern environment. Troops engaged in complex maritime operations, including interdiction operations, gunnery exercises, search and rescue simulations, and fleet maneuver drills in the frigid waters near Nuuk, Greenland. Established in 2007, Operation NANOOK includes exercises in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador to strengthen Canada’s defense…
Sentry Staff For nearly 80 years, guidelines and principles called the “rule of law” have helped maintain global stability and allowed nations to prosper. However, this structure is now at risk, said security analysts gathered at the United States Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska, in August 2024. More than 800 people attended the conference, now in its 15th year. Attendees included personnel from military, academia, industry and other organizations representing 15 countries. Nuclear buildup efforts conducted by Iran, North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, and increasing collaboration among those nations, creates a complex geopolitical…