Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
US suspends military drills with South Korea
The decision to delay joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics was made for practical reasons, rather than as a political gesture, the US DoD announced on 4 January.
The DoD said the Olympics are South Korea's biggest event in terms of international tourism.
Jim Mattis, US defence secretary, said: ‘For us, it is a practical matter. We have at times changed the timelines on these (drills) for any number of reasons, so for us, this is the normal give and take that we have.’
After a year that has seen tensions on the Korean peninsula spike to their worst levels in years, 2018 has begun on a tentatively warmer note with Seoul responding positively to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's New Year speech.
On Wednesday, the two countries restored a cross-border hotline that had been shut down since 2016. They have also agreed to hold high-level talks next week - the first since 2015 which will focus on 'matters of mutual interest,' including the North's participation in the Winter Olympics.
Mattis said the talks were the result of international pressure, pointing to successive UN Security Council votes against the North.
'It shows again that the democracies and the nations that are trying to keep this from going to war and stopping the provocations of nuclear weapon development, of ballistic missile launches and that sort of thing are united in trying to keep this thing in a diplomatic-solution vein,' he said.
The Pentagon chief declined to address a recent tweet from US president Donald Trump, who said Washington had a nuclear button that was 'much bigger and more powerful' than North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's.
'My job as the secretary of defence is to make certain that we have forces ready to defend this country,' Mattis commented.
The drills are expected to be conducted sometime after the Paralympics, which end on 18 March.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
