« Our Coast Guard SEAL candidates are still going strong  
  The Coast Guard Image: Winter Work »

Breaking News: U.S. Tracking North Korean Vessel

Posted on 18 June 2009 by Dan Trimble | Comments

Fox News just broke that a “senior U.S. official” has confirmed the U.S. is tracking a North Korean vessel named “Kang Nam”.  The vessel left a North Korean port on Wednesday, and is suspected of transporting “weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials”.

This raises a whole variety of response issues given that the United Nations resolution authorizing naval enforcement of sanctions against North Korea is awfully thin.  Neither the Coast Guard nor the Navy would have the authority to board the vessel unless North Korea allows it.

More for discussion to come under a separate post shortly.

Source:
“U.S. Military Tracking North Korean Ship Suspected of Proliferating Missiles, Nukes“, Fox News, 18 June 2009.

Category: In the news, Intel, Intelink, Interagency, International, News, USCG, by Dan Trimble, international Affairs | Comments
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Lawler
    Oh man, it's starting!! They are going to begin testing us to see how we respond.
  • Lawler
    oh, and then there is this...
    http://tinyurl.com/mxpctz
  • Haven't ya ever heard of Blind mans bluff. I think that's what were doing right now in North Korea
  • "Neither the Coast Guard nor the Navy would have the authority to board the vessel unless North Korea allows it."

    (This statement above is not true). There are other international laws and treaties that the US and other nations may invoke to inspect the vessel, its crew, and cargo. Under the most current round of UN sanctions against North Korea that the article refers to, the resolution does not expressly authorize opposed or non compliant boardings. UN sanctions are only one avenue, I suggest reading up on initiatives such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/c10390.htm. Whether or not a country decides to actually use the authority is another question, as exemplified by the statements of Admiral Mullen today.
  • The U.S is tracking the north korea vessel which is not good sign as the future is in problem.
blog comments powered by Disqus