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Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

North Korea tests biggest missile since 2017, U.S. calls for talks

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Categories: ASCF News Missile Defense

Comments: 0

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-says-tested-hwasong-12-missile-sunday-2022-01-30/

A combination image shows what appears to be a Hwasong-12 "intermediate and long-range ballistic missile" test, that state media KCNA says was carried out on Sunday, along with pictures reportedly taken from outer space with a camera at the warhead of the missile, in this image released on January 31, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS

North Korea confirmed on Monday it had launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, the same weapon it had once threatened to target the U.S. territory of Guam with, sparking fears the nuclear-armed state could resume long-range testing.

Don’t Miss: Analysis - With seven tests in a month, N.Korea calls for world to accept its missiles

The launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) was first reported by South Korean and Japanese authorities on Sunday. It was the seventh test conducted by North Korea this month and the first time a nuclear-capable missile of that size has been launched since 2017.

The United States is concerned North Korea's escalating missile tests could be precursors to resumed tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and vowed an unspecified response "designed to show our commitment to our allies," a senior U.S. official told reporters in Washington. read more

"It's not just what they did yesterday, it's the fact that this is coming on the heels of quite a significant number of tests in this month," the official said, while urging Pyongyang to join direct talks with no preconditions.

North Korea has said it is open to diplomacy, but that Washington's overtures are undermined by its support for sanctions and joint military drills and arms buildups in South Korea and the region.

Amid a flurry of diplomacy in 2018, including summits with then-U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his nuclear force complete and said he would suspend nuclear testing and launches of the country's longest-range missiles.

Kim said he was no longer bound by that moratorium after talks stalled in 2019, and North Korea suggested this month it could restart those testing activities because the United States had shown no sign of dropping its "hostile policies."

It is unclear if IRBMs such as the Hwasong-12 were included in Kim's moratorium, but none had been tested since 2017.

North Korea analysts said the tests appear aimed at securing global acceptance of its weapons programmes, whether through concessions or simply winning tired acquiescence from a distracted world.

"The world’s distraction on other issues actually seems to be working to North Korea’s benefit right now," Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council think tank and former U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the recent flurry of North Korean missile tests was reminiscent of heightened tensions in 2017, when North Korea conducted multiple nuclear tests, launched its largest missiles, and drew threats of "fire and fury" from the United States.

South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook visited his country's Army Missile Command on Monday to check its readiness in the face of the North Korean launches, the ministry said in a statement.

"North Korea’s series of missile test-fires, including intermediate-range ballistic missiles, pose a direct and serious threat to us and a grave challenge to international peace and stability," Suh said after being briefed. "We will maintain a full military readiness posture that can respond immediately to any situation."

Japan's Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters North Korea was escalating its provocation of the international community and said its "remarkable improvement" in missile technology "cannot be tolerated".

BOOSTING MISSILE CAPABILITIES

Sunday's test "confirmed the accuracy, safety, and operational effectiveness of the produced Hwasong-12 type weapon system," North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.

State media coverage of the launch made no mention of the United States, and Kim was not reported to have attended. North Korean officials said this month the tests are for self defence and not targeted at any specific country.

Kim vowed ahead of the New Year to bolster North Korea's military capabilities in the face of international uncertainties caused by "hostile policies" by the United States and its allies.

North Korea has previously said the Hwasong-12 can carry a "large-size heavy nuclear warhead," and analysts estimate it has a range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles).

In August 2017, just hours after Trump told the North that any threat to the United States would be met with “fire and fury”, the commander of the North’s Strategic Forces said it was “seriously considering a plan of enveloping fire” involving a simultaneous launch of four Hwasong-12 missiles toward Guam.

That year North Korea flight-tested the Hwasong-12 at least six times, including flying it over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido twice.

KCNA said Sunday's missile launch was conducted in such a way as to ensure the safety of neighbouring countries, and that the test warhead was fitted with a camera that took photos while it was in space.

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