Officials from the US, the Republic of Korea, and Japan on Thursday came together to condemn the recent launch of a missile by North Korea as a provocative act and push for more cooperation to deter the possible threat. The US, represented by Christopher Johnstone, the Defense Department’s principal director for East Asia, met with Brig. Gen. Cheol-Kyn Park, the deputy director general of the International Policy Bureau for the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense; and Koji Kano, the principal director of the Defense Policy Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The officials said the Aug. 3 launch of a North Korean missile that landed in Japanese waters, among other recent launches, are “provocative acts that represent a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Resolutions and are a serious threat to peace and stability,” according to a Pentagon readout of the teleconference. The countries discussed possible further cooperation to deter the missile threats, following an agreement last month between the US and South Korea to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system on the Korean peninsula. (See also: The Watchers, Armistice Always on the Mind)
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
