War

Japan are gearing up for a nuclear confrontation with North Korea in the wake of a ballistic missile test by Pyongyang.  Legislators in Japan are calling for a ‘first strike’ policy against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), amid fears that North Korea could strike at any moment. “If bombers attacked us or warships bombarded us, we would fire back,” former defense minister Itsunori Onodera said during a Japanese committee meeting to discuss possible military action against North Korea.

Via Soeren Kern of The Gatestone Institute,

The U.S. military are preparing for a full military strike against North Korea in a move designed to wipe out Kim Jong-un’s full nuclear arsenal.  The announcement comes after North Korea threatened to strike US bases in Japan, firing three of its four missiles dangerously close to the U.S. ally. President Trump has warned that Pyongyang will suffer “very dire consequences” for its actions as a result, according to a White House statement.

Via Andrei Akulov of The Strategic Culture Foundation,

Russia and NATO balancing on the brink of military conflict has been a hot topic ever since 2014 when the bilateral ties were frozen as a result of the events in Ukraine. Heightened tensions, arms control erosion and a plethora of divisive issues negatively affect the bilateral relationship, with misunderstanding and frustration hindering any attempts to turn the tide.

Well that escalated quickly. Just a day after North Korea's test firing of 4 missiles towards US bases in Japan, and hours after North Korea warned the world was "on the brink of nuclear war" due to US-South Korea "maneuvers," CNN reports the first pieces of the controversial US-built missile defense system (designed to mitigate the threat of North Korean missiles) arrived at the Osan Air Base in South Korea Monday night, according to the US military.