The Frontlines Bulletin is designed to give you short, concise information on news from around the world. To read the full bulletin check out: THE FRONTLINES BULLETIN (181809(S)MAY2011)

North Korea

The United States plans to send its envoy for North Korean human rights, Robert King, to Pyongyang to assess the need for food aid and evaluate methods to ensure the aid shipments reach the hungry, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on 17 May. The official said King could visit as early as the week of 22 May.

A U.N. report that says China is allowing Iran and North Korea to collaborate on banned nuclear missile technology highlights the weakness of international efforts to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction and presents U.S. officials with a dilemma. Lawmakers, congressional staffers and former officials told The Washington Times there has been clear evidence for more than a decade of China’s role assisting North Korea, Iran and Pakistan spread the know-how and technology needed to make nuclear-armed ballistic missiles that can strike cities a continent away.

Pakistan

Pakistani paramilitary troops shot at NATO helicopters that crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan early Tuesday, triggering a firefight that left two soldiers wounded, military officials here said. According to a statement by the Pakistani army, paramilitary soldiers at a border post in North Waziristan spotted NATO helicopters in Pakistani airspace Tuesday morning. They fired on the helicopters, which then shelled the post, injuring two, the statement said. Pakistan said it had lodged a “strong protest” with NATO and demanded a border meeting of military officials. The Pakistani parliament on 14 May condemned the US raid to find and kill Usama bin Laden, calling for a review of U.S. relations and noting Pakistan could sever supply lines to US forces in Afghanistan should another such operations take place. Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate chief Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha reportedly said he is ready to resign from his post over the bin Laden incident, according to a lawmaker. His resignation was not accepted.

China

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army band is on its first visit to the US, making a joint appearance Monday night with the US Army band at Washington’s Kennedy Center. In the past year, the Pentagon leadership has expressed growing concern about China’s cyberespionage forays and its robust Navy, including the possible launch of its first aircraft carrier later this year. These trends are troubling to US military officials, who are seeking to expand American military presence in the Pacific. Chinese efforts to flex its muscle in recent years have at times sent shockwaves through the Pentagon. China’s successful ballistic missile shoot-down of one of its own orbiting satellites in 2007 was a feat widely seen as an ominous move toward the militarization of space. “I’m increasingly concerned about where China seems to be heading with that,” Mullen told the Monitor. During this visit, leaders on both sides are seeking to strike a more conciliatory tone, especially since it’s on the heels of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s first state visit to the US in January.

TASK/CONDITIONS/STANDARDS for THE FRONTLINES BULLETIN

The TASK is to provide valuable information for veterans. The CONDITIONS are information overload of often useless partisan rhetoric which distorts the facts, clutters the environment, and thus prohibits  important information from being distributed to Veterans. The STANDARDS are that The Frontlines Bulletin will be short, concise, and referenced material in order to provide timely and relevant information to Veterans and their families.

If you have a different opinion or comment please post it here or email me at askthewarrant@thefrontlines.com.

Thank you.

Very respectfully,

The Warrant

References

KGS NightWatch (http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch.aspx)

The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-flew-stealth-drones-into-pakistan-to-monitor-bin-laden-house/2011/05/13/AF5dW55G_story.html)

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hundreds-of-afghans-protest-nato-raid-they-say-killed-4-civilians-nato-says-insurgents-died/2011/05/18/AFfTRI6G_story.html)

The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/17/beijing-aiding-north-korea-and-iran-with-nuke-adva/)

Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/0517/Chinese-military-leaders-visit-US.-What-do-they-want

“The danger posed by North Korea’s threatening activities warrants action by the international community,” Mr Obama said in a written statement.

So, what “action” will the President of the strongest nation in the world possibly be talking about? One only needs to look at what he said in 2006 during an interview with the late Tim Russert.

You know, what I would do is, at this point, given the provocation of the recent nuclear test, I think let’s try to get these sanctions to work. I think the administration—which had not done a very good job on the North Korea issue, partly because it had been bogged down in Iraq—right now is taking some of the right steps. Let’s reconvene the six-party talks. China and South Korea are central to those efforts. But I think that in time it would make sense for us to initiate some bilateral conversations on—in parallel with the six-party talks, partly because it would strengthen, I think, the commitment of China and South Korea to really put some pressure on North Korea.

So, in 2006, we talked and surely that should have worked, right? Obviously, it didn’t. Thankfully, in President Obama’s statement following the test he DID outline what those “actions” are that he says are warranted this time:

“We have been and will continue working with our allies and partners in the Six-Party Talks as well as other members of the U.N. Security Council in the days ahead.”

Good idea, let’s keep talking. If we’re lucky, two years from now the nuclear explosion won’t be on the heads of our South Korean troops or, God forbid, in our own country.

Unfortunately, our President doesn’t believe in attacking North Korea. Why? Well, again, here’s what he said during that 2006 interview.

MR. RUSSERT: Would you invade North Korea?

SEN. OBAMA: No, I don’t think that’s an option. They’ve got a million troops in uniform, very well trained.

By golly, our military could never defeat a million North Korean troops! Whatever will we do? Who’s afraid of the big, bad Kim Jong Il?