Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 16, 2020

Staff Sgt. Franklin Ramos

Sputnik: South Korea Increases Combat Readiness Amid Soaring Tensions With North, Reports Claim

SEOUL (Sputnik) - South Korea has increased monitoring and combat readiness along its border with North Korea amid escalating tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang, the Yonhap state news agency reported on Monday.

“We are closely monitoring the North Korean military's moves and are maintaining a firm military readiness posture. As of yet, there has been no incident to give additional explanations on," Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Kim Jun-rak told a regular press briefing, as quoted by the Yonhap state news agency.

According to Yonhap, South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said earlier that Seoul had allocated a record budget amount to shore up its defensive capabilities.

Read more ....

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 16, 2020

North Korea’s military threatens to reenter areas demilitarized under inter-Korean agreements -- AP

Navy Super Hornet Conducts First Guided Launch Of Impressive 'Stormbreaker" Miniature Bomb -- Warzone/The Drive

F-35’s Small Diameter Bomb Delayed a Year Thanks to Faulty Fin Design -- Sputnik

Invincible Or Outdated? Could The B-52 Bomber Have Finally Met Its Match? -- National Interest

US Air Force’s new Grey Wolf helicopter needs to watch its weight -- Defense News

US: Company provided subpar steel for Navy submarine hulls -- AP
Frigates Will Dominate In The Navy's New War Strategy -- National Interest

Nearly three years after its fatal collision, the Fitzgerald heads for new home port -- Navy Times

Pilot's body is found after US Air Force F-15C fighter jet crashed in the North Sea 74 miles off the Yorkshire coast -- Daily Mail

With the future of the US Navy’s carrier air wing murky, Congress demands a plan -- Defense News

GOP divided in fight over renaming bases -- The Hill

Senate panel approves $10M to prepare for nuclear test 'if necessary' -- UPI

Exclusive: U.S. senators ask Pentagon if $1 billion in Afghan aid was cut -- Reuters

Latest Pentagon official overseeing special operations leaving as musical chairs continue -- Task & Purpose

America Shouldn’t Restart Production of Weapons-Grade Uranium -- Alan J. Kuperman, War On The Rocks

Will US foreign military sales catch the coronavirus? -- Joe Gould, Defense News

US Air Force deploys Reaper drones to Estonia for first time on short-term mission -- Stars and Stripes

Trump says Germany is 'delinquent' as he announces plan to withdraw 9,500 troops from the country -- Business Insider

Trump confirms plan to cut US troops in Germany to 25,000 -- UPI

US military in Germany: What you need to know -- DW

B-52 Task Forces Head to Eastern Europe, Alaska -- Air Force Magazine

The US and NATO started 2020 with big plans to practice a vital military skill — then the coronavirus hit -- Business Insider

Kalashnikov gunmaker delivers 35,000 latest AK-12 assault rifles to Russian troops -- TASS

Putin: Russia is building defenses against hypersonic missiles -- UPI

Russia’s Su-27 fighters scrambled to intercept US bombers over Baltic Sea -- TASS

WATCH Russian jets ‘intercept’ US strategic bombers over Baltic Sea -- RT

Watch Russian military recruits march while singing ‘Barbie Girl’ -- Military Times

China Adds Six Times More Nuclear Warheads Than India in a Year, Report Reveals -- Sputnik

Delay to launch of final satellite in China’s BeiDou navigation network -- SCMP

Japan decides to scrap US land-based Aegis Ashore missile defence system -- SCMP/AP

Halt to Aegis Ashore Deployment Signals Tokyo's Intention to Cut Reliance on Washington - Analysts -- Sputnik

Israelis To Boost F-35 Fleet’s Electronic Warfare -- Breaking Defense