Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 17, 2018

US M1A2 tank (AFP Photo/Jung Yeon-Je) / AFP

News.com.au: US conducts ‘very serious’ drills to prepare for war with North Korea

THE US military is quietly preparing for war with North Korea, as the Pentagon considers building more nuclear warheads.

THE US military is quietly performing exercises to ready itself for war with North Korea, as the Pentagon considers building more targeted nuclear warheads.

Two military drills last month and one in February are designed to ready troops for the possibility of war with the rogue regime, which has made repeated threats to attack the US with its nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, The New York Times reports.

While the Trump administration has no desire to go to war with the hermit kingdom, defence secretary Jim Mattis has ordered his forces to be “ready for any possible military action on the Korean Peninsula”, according to the Times.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 17, 2018

Donald Trump administration 'looking very seriously at North Korea military options' -- The Telegraph

Diplomacy Yes, but Pentagon Quietly Prepares for War on the Korean Peninsula -- Sputnik

Mattis: North Korea situation 'sobering' -- The Hill

B-52H Bombers Have Arrived In Guam To Take Over The Continuous Bomber Presence Mission -- The Warzone

In a rarity, the Air Force temporarily deploys three kinds of bombers to the Pacific -- Washington Post

Australia and Japan eye military co-operation pact -- Financial Times

China Is Hard At Work Developing Swarms Of Small Drones With Big Military Applications -- Warzone/The Drive

Pentagon Confirms Russia Building Underwater Nuclear Drone -- Washington Free Beacon

Pentagon Document Confirms Existence of Russian Doomsday Torpedo -- Popular Mechanics

Just How Much of a Threat is Russia’s Status-6 Nuclear Torpedo? -- National Interest

Terrorists Stalk Dark Web for Deadlier Weaponry -- Cipher Brief

Israel Military Appoints First Female Squadron Commander -- Haaretz

Three Killed as Military Training Plane Crashes in Turkey - Reports -- Sputnik

Japan dismisses Russia’s concerns, says it has full control of its missile systems -- TASS

Iron Fist 2018 Ramps Up Training as Japan Readies 1st Amphibious Unit -- USNI News

India Fast Tracks Purchase of Assault Rifles & Carbines Worth $554 Mln -- Sputnik

US Military Allies Cannot Defeat This Flock Of Sheep at One of NATO's Most Important Bases -- Newsweek

Britain prepares to send military helicopters for French campaign against Islamists in Sahel -- The Telegraph

Taliban Fighters Using High-Tech Gear Kill Afghan Forces -- NYT

Marine Corps task force wraps up mission in Afghanistan -- Washington Times

Marines push closer to the fight in Helmand -- Marine times

ISIS hasn't yet morphed into an insurgency in Iraq, US commander says -- Washington Examiner

United States Department of Defense plans to develop TWO new sea-based nuclear weapons as China and Russia amp up their arsenals -- Daily Mail

Trump administration considering developing two more 'usable' nuclear weapons -- The Independent

Raytheon awarded $641M for ballistic missile defense system testing -- UPI

U.S. warily eyeing new Russian air defenses in Crimea -- Reuters

Army brings back the Stinger missile in the face of Russian aggression -- Army Times

The Navy's New Stealth Destroyer is 98 Percent Complete -- National Interest

Navy: Captains of Ships in Pacific Collisions to Face Criminal Charges -- Military.com

Vice ADM Rowden: Scapegoat? -- Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense

Former McCain, Fitzgerald CDRs Facing Negligent Homicide Charges -- AP

The Navy Is Getting Ready for Amphibious War -- National Interest

Coast Guard Eyes Leasing Civilian Jail Ship to Hold Detainees -- Military.com/DOD Buzz

Game of Drones: US Unmanned Sea Vessels May Launch Drone Helicopters -- Sputnik

Air Force to create three-star ‘vice commander’ post to manage space activities -- Space News

Doubts About SpaceX Reliability Persist As Astronaut Missions Approach -- Forbes

What’s in the Coast Guard’s secret sauce for high retention? -- Scott Maucione, Federal News Radio

How start-and-stop funding affects the Pentagon -- Axios