Biden’s ‘weapons diplomacy’ to Saudi Arabia ‘guided ammunition’ Yoon Seok-yeol ‘speed war on military build-up’

Biden’s ‘weapons diplomacy’ to Saudi Arabia ‘guided ammunition’ Yoon Seok-yeol ‘speed war on military build-up’

​

Under the Biden administration's diplomatic superiority policy, Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels are expected to be provided with 'offensive precision-guided munitions', which had been banned from Saudi Arabia, as a reward for the peace talks.

In warning that North Korea is not ready for nuclear war, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 21st that ‘diplomacy comes first’, and President Yoon Seok-yeol announced on the 20th that there is a ‘speed war on military build-up’.

Biden administration officials are preparing to ease restrictions on the sale of offensive weapons that they had banned to Saudi Arabia, he told NYT on the 21st, saying, “Saudi Arabia’s peace talks with Yemeni militias hastened the easing of sanctions.”

The State Department temporarily suspended sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United States immediately after Democratic President Biden took office in 2021.

Former Republican President Trump signed a military agreement with Saudi Arabia, and the CIA concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince at the time had 'authorized murder' in the murder and dismemberment of Iranian Washington Post columnist Jamal Jamal Khashoggi, and President Biden responded by saying that Sales were prohibited.

Yemen's Houthi rebels (militia), located south of Saudi Arabia, launched a fierce attack to disrupt global trade, including launching missiles and drones at merchant ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel's Hamas attack, and externally declared that 'Israel is encircling the Gaza Strip'. They demanded that the attack be stopped.

The world's largest shipping companies began a U.S. military operation to reroute their ships in Yemen, located next to a major maritime chokepoint, and Biden's State Department allowed the sale of $4.7 billion worth of precision-guided munitions for offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia that had been put on hold due to a ban. It was announced on this day.

NYT said, “Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels are working to formalize a ceasefire in Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia’s coalition ally in the war, has launched airstrikes against the Houthi rebels with US-made ammunition and US military aid, killing large numbers of civilians. “It caused death and sparked international condemnation.”

Korea has taken advantage of this and succeeded in selling US-standard weapons to the UAE and is attempting to sell alternative US-standard weapons to Saudi Arabia, and the lifting of US arms restrictions is expected to affect Korea's ‘weapons supply contracts’.

Biden administration officials and Saudi officials have been secretly negotiating in recent weeks on the war against Hamas, and Saudi officials have pressured U.S. lawmakers and presidential aides to ease a ban on sales of offensive weapons, the New York Times said.

U.S. and Saudi officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential talks, and both officials made the case for a condition of the arms deal that requires Saudi Arabia to "protect its southern border with Yemen against future conflict." .

Saudi officials specifically argued to the Biden administration and Democratic Congress that the kingdom "must be prepared to deal with heightened tensions in the region as the Israel-Gaza war intensifies," the NYT said.

NYT said, “President Biden’s planned shift in arms sales policy is likely to meet opposition from some Democratic Party members,” and “The Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Saudi Arabia would reduce oil production along with Russia and other oil-producing countries in 2022.” “After reaching an agreement, we voluntarily blocked arms sales to Saudi Arabia.”

Senators on the committee openly mentioned that Saudi Arabia's offensive weapons restrictions were due to 'civilian casualties in Yemen.'

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on the 20th, "I would oppose viewing the release of advanced weapons as some kind of separate, one-time transaction," and added, "I understand the urgency and challenges that have arisen since October 7, but “I think there needs to be a broader context and framework,” he told the NYT.

This action by Saudi Arabia and the Biden administration is coupled with anxiety in the White House ahead of next year's midterm elections in the United States and concerns about Saudi Arabia's relationship with Russia, which is at war with Ukraine.

In response to North Korea’s ‘warning against nuclear war,’ the US Department of Defense announced on the 21st that ‘diplomacy comes first.’

U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder said at a regular briefing on the 21st, "The United States, South Korea, and Japan conducted joint aerial exercises involving B-1B strategic bombers in response to North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and the allies' ultimate goal is to 'behead Kim Jong-un.' In response to the question, “We are still committed to a diplomatic approach and urge North Korea to engage in dialogue (a diplomatic approach and continue to call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue),” he said. “We have no “There are no hostile intentions and we have made that very clear.”

“Our focus is on security and stability in the region,” Ryder said. “We are working closely with our allies South Korea and Japan, as well as other allies and partners in the region, to ensure that everyone in the region can live in peace and safety.” .

In a statement on the 22nd, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said, “The release of warm water indicates that the nuclear reactor has reached critical mass,” and “This means that the nuclear chain reaction of the reactor is self-sustaining,” and said, “North Korea’s nuclear reactor is operating.”

Reuters reported on the 21st, “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week’s missile tests show he will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes him with a strategic weapon.” “Analysts say Kim Jong-un’s remarks are broad, vague, and potentially destabilizing.” “It is the latest in a series of statements and legislative changes outlining the doctrine,” he said.

On the 20th, President Yoon ordered that surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities be dramatically strengthened to prepare for North Korean nuclear and missile threats, saying, "Deploying out-of-date weapons is not only a waste of finances but also incompetent for security." President Yoon said at the National Defense Innovation Committee on this day. “After military demands are raised, unnecessary procedures must be drastically abolished and efficiency improved so that they can be deployed as soon as possible. In the power acquisition process, speed is not immediately apparent, and the most important thing is efficiency,” he said. “Acquisition of power for security is a normal government process.” “It must be strictly differentiated from the procurement process and be promoted with speed,” he said.

In particular, President Yoon said, "We must share our surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which will be strengthened in the future, between South Korea and the United States and utilize the real-time sharing system of missile warning information between Korea, the United States and Japan to effectively suppress the advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats."

The government announced that it would shorten the average acquisition period for weapons systems in the defense acquisition system from the current 14 years to 7 years.

First Deputy Minister of National Security Kim Tae-hyo said about the ROK-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) on 'SBS' on the 19th, "It is a nightmare for North Korea that South Korea becomes integrated with the United States, the world's most powerful nuclear weapons state, and moves toward a combat deployment system that can use nuclear weapons at any time." “If we prepare complete guidance guidelines by June of next year, both governments will feel that an integrated nuclear deterrence system has been completed for all nuclear programs,” he said.