U.S. Tracking North Korean Ship Suspected of Carrying Weapons and Nuclear Material

leistb · 06-18-2009, 02:12 PM

Fox News has begun reporting this in the last several minutes. No link yet.

leistb · 06-18-2009, 02:14 PM

U.S.Military Tracking North Korean Ship Suspected of Proliferating Missiles, Nukes

A ship named Kang Nam left a port in North Korea Wednesday and could be carrying missile parts or nuclear materials in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

FOXNews.com
Thursday, June 18, 2009

The U.S. military is tracking a flagged North Korean ship suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution passed last Friday, FOX News has learned.

The ship, Kang Nam, left a port in North Korea Wednesday and could be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials. The U.S. military has been tracking it since its departure.

"It is believed to be 'of interest,'" a senior U.S. official told FOX News.

This is the first suspected "proliferator" that the U.S. and its allies have tracked from North Korea since the United Nations authorized the world's navies to enforce compliance with a variety of U.N. sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test.

North Korea, though, has said that any attempt to board its ships would be viewed as an act of war and promised "100- or 1,000-fold" retaliation if provoked.

The Kang Nam is known to be a ship that has been involved in proliferation activities in the past -- it is "a repeat offender," according to one military source.

FOX News' Jennifer Griffin and Justin Fishel contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...pons-material/

Glockd · 06-18-2009, 02:37 PM

Folks, it may be time to keep an ear to the ground.

BirdGuano · 06-18-2009, 02:42 PM

If it happens, it will be quick and won't reach the media right away.

Watching the Japan and Korea RSS feeds......

Potemkin · 06-18-2009, 03:00 PM

Anyone remember the Cuban Missile Crisis and blockade?

BirdGuano · 06-18-2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Potemkin

Anyone remember the Cuban Missile Crisis and blockade?

Yes, unfortunately.

Ramius31 · 06-18-2009, 03:05 PM

Sounds like the perfect time for Israel to make their Iranian strikes....

BirdGuano · 06-18-2009, 03:27 PM

Wire Services....

SECDEF positioning additional military assets between Hawaii and Korea.

Arianwen · 06-18-2009, 03:37 PM

Holy @#$ creepy. I wasn't alive yet for the missile crisis but my ma was, she told me all about how scary it was.

Somebody needs to take that #$%#$% boat out and make it look like a tragic accident.

Ramius31 · 06-18-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arianwen

Holy @#$ creepy. I wasn't alive yet for the missile crisis but my ma was, she told me all about how scary it was.

Somebody needs to take that #$%#$% boat out and make it look like a tragic accident.

We will track the boat and do absolutely nothing else about it other than possibly asking whatever country it ports in not to refuel it. If anything were to happen to that ship, North Korea will be over the border in a heartbeat to gain the military advantage, not allowing our forces to be built up.

BirdGuano · 06-18-2009, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramius31

We will track the boat and do absolutely nothing else about it other than possibly asking whatever country it ports in not to refuel it. If anything were to happen to that ship, North Korea will be over the border in a heartbeat to gain the military advantage, not allowing our forces to be built up.

Which would last about 12 hours until we decimated their command/control, and they decimated Seoul with artillary.

Ramius31 · 06-18-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdGuano

Which would last about 12 hours until we decimated their command/control, and they decimated Seoul with artillary.

History shows that McArthur felt supremely confident about his ability to handle North Korea also. Who is to say that any attacks in the North wouldn't elicit a Chinese response?

We will track these ships and do nothing. Our Commander in Chief is busy tackling those nasty flies.

Ought Six · 06-18-2009, 04:02 PM

R31:

Quote:

"History shows that McArthur felt supremely confident about his ability to handle North Korea also. Who is to say that any attacks in the North wouldn't elicit a Chinese response?"

The Chinese sometimes finds North Korea useful to distract and irritate western powers, but there is no way in hell that today's Chinese government is going to war with us to protect the North Korean regime.

Glockd · 06-18-2009, 05:39 PM

Agree with Ought, NK is not worth going to war over. And Russia is a wildcard. WE dont sit on their border eyeing their resources, China does.

My prediction:
NK will suffer a regime change, said regime will ally with China but will be also make nicey-nice with SK. It will become, in effect, (although not on paper or on a map) a province of China with open borders with SK. We'll reduce force levels in SK, and everyone will make like Kim Jong Ill is nothing but a bad memory.

But, I cant help but feel some folks will have to die first. If for no other reason than to facilitate the collapse of the current NK Gov and hardliners within the NK Military.

Ought Six · 06-18-2009, 06:45 PM

I wish it was gonna be that easy. The entrenched military and political elites know full well that if the government falls, those of them that are not slaughtered outright will all go on trial in NK or international courts for what has been done to the North Korean people for the last several decades. It is an unspeakable abomination that equals the Nazi Holocaust and Stalin's purges and 'gulag arpeggio' in scope and horror. For this reason, the various leadership factions will happily immolate the entire region, including their own nation, before they relinquish power. It is literally life or death for them.

Sonny · 06-18-2009, 08:14 PM

Well I sure hope they're not too close to that N.Korean ship,
Considering whats on board It could possibly blowup.

!
edit.
possibly could or could possibly?

Glockd · 06-18-2009, 08:31 PM

Board it very quietly, neutralize the crew, open the bilges, shut down the pumps. Do this very far from shore, very far from shipping lanes and far from the fishing grounds.

Or just put a Mk48 ADCAP under her keel and be done with it.

Glockd · 06-18-2009, 08:52 PM

Of course, if that ship heads in the direction some think it might be, any bets on Isreal putting it on the bottom and telling NK to piss off after they have done so?

What is NK gonna do then? What would they do if the Aussies sunk it or the South Africans or Portugal??

dyrt · 06-18-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glockd

Of course, if that ship heads in the direction some think it might be, any bets on Isreal putting it on the bottom and telling NK to piss off after they have done so?

What is NK gonna do then? What would they do if the Aussies sunk it or the South Africans or Portugal??

Blame it on the US, of course.

BirdGuano · 06-18-2009, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glockd

Of course, if that ship heads in the direction some think it might be, any bets on Isreal putting it on the bottom and telling NK to piss off after they have done so?

Israel has the subs to do it if it crosses their red line, and I don't think they will talk about it much after the fact either.

I think it will sink swiftly enough so that an SOS isn't going to be broadcast for anybody to hear.

Glockd · 06-18-2009, 09:40 PM

Well, besides that. What are they gonna do if a country other than Japan, SK or the U.S. sink their ship, or sieze it? Portugal sinks it, goes to the U.N. admits it and tells NK "suck this". What is Kim gonna do? What if Quatar does it, or the UAE, or Norway? What the hells he gonna do then? Kinda bitch slaps him without much recourse right?

LvDemWings · 06-18-2009, 09:46 PM

Wouldn't it be something if Russia was the one to board and sieze.

Sonny · 06-18-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LvDemWings

Wouldn't it be something if Russia was the one to board and sieze.

Wasn;t it our friends the Russians that gave the North Koreans their nuclear reactor in the first place.

LvDemWings · 06-18-2009, 10:45 PM

Russia and China would be the only ones that could sieze that cargo and get away with it and while they would have to do so under the watchful eye of the UN and the world I think I would rather take my chances with Russia.

frodo · 06-19-2009, 02:55 AM

Glock:

Quote:

What is NK gonna do then? What would they do if the Aussies sunk it or the South Africans or Portugal??

Since you asked....

We already did sink one of theirs , the Pong SU, which we caught delivering heroin to a beach not far from here. It took a 600 mile chase and a shot across the bows by a destroyer to stop her.

She was siezed, and the crew arrested and tried. The ship was taken to the 100 fathom line and used for target practice by Two F18's. It was video'd...a copy was sent to the North Koreans as a warning.

The video is here...

YouTube - Pong Su Sunk by F-111

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong_Su_incident