An artificial magnitude 5.1 earthquake was detected that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said displayed “clear explosion-like characteristics.” It will take time to ascertain important elements of the test including the yield (or size) of the explosion and the nuclear material with which it was constructed.
Cyber Threat in Shadow of Deepwater Horizons
In a recent report, ABI Research, a technology/market intelligence analysis firm, found that the U.S. oil and gas industry will likely invest $1.87 billion in anti-cyber threats by 2018…
North Korea Vows “High Level” Nuclear Test; Diplomacy Needed Now
Lt. General (ret. USA) Robert Gard Jr. PhD, Chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, stressed, “Even if the North Koreans engage in provocative behavior that should not dissuade us from engaging them.”
North Korea’s Successful Rocket Launch
By: Duyeon Kim An already intractable problem just became more complicated, although it was much anticipated. On December 12, 2012, at approximately 9:51 a.m. KST, North Korea launched another Unha-3 long-range rocket-satellite with success. An earlier launch of the same rocket failed in April. In a noon broadcast by its state-run TV, Pyongyang announced that […]
North Korea Launches Rocket/Missile
Just moments ago, a beaming North Korean state-run TV announcer proclaimed a successful rocket launch on their noon show (10pm EST). They’re claiming to have successfully launched a satellite into orbit. South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed Pyongyang’s first and second stages of its rocket were split successfully. Key capitols are assessing the situation.
We can expect Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington to react sternly although Washington hasn’t released a statement yet. We can also expect the UN Security Council to convene Wednesday at around 11a.m. and discuss passing a resolution (i.e. sanctions) or another president’s statement. After North Korea’s April launch, the UN Security Council President’s statement included a “trigger” clause – this laid the foundation for a swift sanctions resolution for future missile launches and nuclear tests. For more, see my analysis in Arms Control Today after Pyongyang’s April rocket launch.
If this test was successful, it has grave security implications. Pyongyang claims it’s a rocket for peaceful scientific purposes while the world sees it as a veiled attempt to mate a nuclear warhead onto an inter-continental ballistic missile that could hit the U.S. homeland.
The latest launch comes days before the South Korea’s December 19th presidential elections and it’s unclear whether it would affect votes. Until now, both conservative and liberal presidential candidates had expressed willingness to engage Pyongyang. The launch also comes against the backdrop of the North’s “mighty and prosperous nation” year, and just days before the death of Kim Jong-il on December 17, 2011.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement: “North Korea has once again defied the United Nations, its Six-Party partners, and the world by launching a long-range rocket under the guise of a so-called ‘satellite test.'”
Stay tuned for more.
