South Korea has prioritized its defenses to confront incoming missiles whereas investing closely in rising its air and naval forces, however Seoul’s focus has come at the price of neglecting different air protection wants, specialists mentioned — leaving the nation weak to a menace liable for intensive carnage in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.
5 North Korean drones flew deep into South Korea on Dec. 26, together with one which pierced the no-fly zone round Seoul’s presidential workplace. The navy scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response however didn’t shoot any of them down; a few of them disappeared from radar screens as they have been being tracked, navy officers said. The incident prompted political fallout for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who blamed the dearth of preparedness on his predecessor and mentioned he’d rush to activate a specialised anti-drone unit later this yr.
Yoon’s workplace and the South Korean Protection Ministry declined to remark.
The Pentagon additionally declined to remark, saying it doesn’t converse to “alleged intelligence leaks.” A spokesman didn’t handle questions on whether or not the Protection Division believes South Korea’s vulnerabilities pose a menace to the hundreds of U.S. service members and their households stationed there, or whether or not supplying substantial air protection techniques to Ukraine has strained its capacity to promote these techniques to South Korea.
“The U.S. relationship with the [Republic of Korea] is stronger than ever,” Military Lt. Col Martin Meiners mentioned, pointing to last month’s declaration of mutual protection that President Biden endorsed throughout Yoon’s go to to Washington.
The Discord leaks additionally embody categorized paperwork indicating the US eavesdropped on South Korean officers’ personal deliberations, together with their consideration of a U.S. request that Seoul ship artillery ammunition to Ukraine. South Korea has resisted doing so, citing the potential affect on commerce with Russia and fears Moscow would retaliate by serving to North Korea advance its weapons packages.
These disclosures drew sharp backlash from Yoon’s critics, who demanded he confront Washington concerning the difficulty. Yoon’s workplace has said “the allegations of an eavesdropping breach are fully unfaithful,” however didn’t make clear which components of the paperwork it deemed fabricated.
This newest intelligence evaluation, which has not been beforehand disclosed, dates to early March and seems to be a part of a briefing presentation for the U.S. navy’s senior management. It sheds new gentle on why South Korean forces struggled to detect, observe and destroy the drones throughout December’s incursion, pointing to an anemic air protection functionality not attuned to rising threats. Sluggish communication between floor radars and responding plane hampered the response, the doc says, and South Korean commanders lacked clear guidelines of engagement.
The doc additionally notes air protection protection gaps that could possibly be exploited by North Korean pilots in search of pockets of unsecured airspace. Concern over collateral injury was a further issue, it says.
Whereas Seoul has pledged to deal with these weaknesses and arise a counter-drone unit later this yr, it “seemingly would require 3-5 years to totally implement its plan” and purchase the requisite know-how and armaments, U.S. officers surmise.
South Korean forces “very seemingly will probably be unable to persistently enact a coordinated response to [North Korean drone] incursions for no less than the subsequent 6 months,” the doc says.
The incursion final winter was the primary public incident of its sort since 2017, when a North Korean reconnaissance drone crashed close to the border. The plane appeared to have taken pictures of a brand new U.S. missile protection system in South Korea, Seoul mentioned on the time.
South Korea has adopted some air protection capabilities, together with its acquisition of Israeli early warning radars. The incident in December, although, was a “wake-up name,” mentioned Ellen Kim, the deputy director of the Korea Chair on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research, a Washington-based assume tank.
“South Korea has been actually preoccupied with these missile packages and nuclear packages” in North Korea, she mentioned. It seems North Korea took benefit of that oversight, Kim mentioned.
Drones have for years been utilized by outmatched navy forces as an economical option to even the percentages. In Syria, for example, Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. bases utilizing one-way unmanned plane. In Ukraine, each Russian and Ukrainian troops use smaller drones to conduct reconnaissance and crash into targets.
These which can be smaller and fly low are tough even for superior air protection techniques to intercept. South Korean officers have acknowledged their wrestle to detect drones with a wingspan smaller than 10 ft, although they’ve mentioned bigger, military-size drones are simpler to see.
“That’s why North Korea has been specializing in the asymmetrical functionality, identical to nuclear weapons,” Kim mentioned.
Uk Yang, a navy technique knowledgeable on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research in Seoul, mentioned South Korea misplaced the benefit it had after growing unmanned plane within the Nineteen Nineties.
“The drone incursion raised questions within the presidential workplace about whether or not Seoul has been investing in its nationwide protection in a proper means,” Yang mentioned.
The race to safe South Korea’s skies has put monumental stress on its front-line troops, the leaked U.S. doc says. Items already function on excessive alert, and the newfound stress to deal with failures uncovered over the winter has contributed to “excessive ranges of stress and exhaustion,” it states, warning of difficulties to return with maintaining burned-out troops in uniform.
Yoon, a conservative who has taken a hard-line stance towards Pyongyang, instructed members of his cupboard after the incident that it had “clearly confirmed the necessity for extra intense readiness and coaching.”
Kim reported from Seoul and Lee reported from Tokyo.
South Korea has prioritized its defenses to confront incoming missiles whereas investing closely in rising its air and naval forces, however Seoul’s focus has come at the price of neglecting different air protection wants, specialists mentioned — leaving the nation weak to a menace liable for intensive carnage in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.
5 North Korean drones flew deep into South Korea on Dec. 26, together with one which pierced the no-fly zone round Seoul’s presidential workplace. The navy scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response however didn’t shoot any of them down; a few of them disappeared from radar screens as they have been being tracked, navy officers said. The incident prompted political fallout for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who blamed the dearth of preparedness on his predecessor and mentioned he’d rush to activate a specialised anti-drone unit later this yr.
Yoon’s workplace and the South Korean Protection Ministry declined to remark.
The Pentagon additionally declined to remark, saying it doesn’t converse to “alleged intelligence leaks.” A spokesman didn’t handle questions on whether or not the Protection Division believes South Korea’s vulnerabilities pose a menace to the hundreds of U.S. service members and their households stationed there, or whether or not supplying substantial air protection techniques to Ukraine has strained its capacity to promote these techniques to South Korea.
“The U.S. relationship with the [Republic of Korea] is stronger than ever,” Military Lt. Col Martin Meiners mentioned, pointing to last month’s declaration of mutual protection that President Biden endorsed throughout Yoon’s go to to Washington.
The Discord leaks additionally embody categorized paperwork indicating the US eavesdropped on South Korean officers’ personal deliberations, together with their consideration of a U.S. request that Seoul ship artillery ammunition to Ukraine. South Korea has resisted doing so, citing the potential affect on commerce with Russia and fears Moscow would retaliate by serving to North Korea advance its weapons packages.
These disclosures drew sharp backlash from Yoon’s critics, who demanded he confront Washington concerning the difficulty. Yoon’s workplace has said “the allegations of an eavesdropping breach are fully unfaithful,” however didn’t make clear which components of the paperwork it deemed fabricated.
This newest intelligence evaluation, which has not been beforehand disclosed, dates to early March and seems to be a part of a briefing presentation for the U.S. navy’s senior management. It sheds new gentle on why South Korean forces struggled to detect, observe and destroy the drones throughout December’s incursion, pointing to an anemic air protection functionality not attuned to rising threats. Sluggish communication between floor radars and responding plane hampered the response, the doc says, and South Korean commanders lacked clear guidelines of engagement.
The doc additionally notes air protection protection gaps that could possibly be exploited by North Korean pilots in search of pockets of unsecured airspace. Concern over collateral injury was a further issue, it says.
Whereas Seoul has pledged to deal with these weaknesses and arise a counter-drone unit later this yr, it “seemingly would require 3-5 years to totally implement its plan” and purchase the requisite know-how and armaments, U.S. officers surmise.
South Korean forces “very seemingly will probably be unable to persistently enact a coordinated response to [North Korean drone] incursions for no less than the subsequent 6 months,” the doc says.
The incursion final winter was the primary public incident of its sort since 2017, when a North Korean reconnaissance drone crashed close to the border. The plane appeared to have taken pictures of a brand new U.S. missile protection system in South Korea, Seoul mentioned on the time.
South Korea has adopted some air protection capabilities, together with its acquisition of Israeli early warning radars. The incident in December, although, was a “wake-up name,” mentioned Ellen Kim, the deputy director of the Korea Chair on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research, a Washington-based assume tank.
“South Korea has been actually preoccupied with these missile packages and nuclear packages” in North Korea, she mentioned. It seems North Korea took benefit of that oversight, Kim mentioned.
Drones have for years been utilized by outmatched navy forces as an economical option to even the percentages. In Syria, for example, Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. bases utilizing one-way unmanned plane. In Ukraine, each Russian and Ukrainian troops use smaller drones to conduct reconnaissance and crash into targets.
These which can be smaller and fly low are tough even for superior air protection techniques to intercept. South Korean officers have acknowledged their wrestle to detect drones with a wingspan smaller than 10 ft, although they’ve mentioned bigger, military-size drones are simpler to see.
“That’s why North Korea has been specializing in the asymmetrical functionality, identical to nuclear weapons,” Kim mentioned.
Uk Yang, a navy technique knowledgeable on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research in Seoul, mentioned South Korea misplaced the benefit it had after growing unmanned plane within the Nineteen Nineties.
“The drone incursion raised questions within the presidential workplace about whether or not Seoul has been investing in its nationwide protection in a proper means,” Yang mentioned.
The race to safe South Korea’s skies has put monumental stress on its front-line troops, the leaked U.S. doc says. Items already function on excessive alert, and the newfound stress to deal with failures uncovered over the winter has contributed to “excessive ranges of stress and exhaustion,” it states, warning of difficulties to return with maintaining burned-out troops in uniform.
Yoon, a conservative who has taken a hard-line stance towards Pyongyang, instructed members of his cupboard after the incident that it had “clearly confirmed the necessity for extra intense readiness and coaching.”
Kim reported from Seoul and Lee reported from Tokyo.
South Korea has prioritized its defenses to confront incoming missiles whereas investing closely in rising its air and naval forces, however Seoul’s focus has come at the price of neglecting different air protection wants, specialists mentioned — leaving the nation weak to a menace liable for intensive carnage in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.
5 North Korean drones flew deep into South Korea on Dec. 26, together with one which pierced the no-fly zone round Seoul’s presidential workplace. The navy scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response however didn’t shoot any of them down; a few of them disappeared from radar screens as they have been being tracked, navy officers said. The incident prompted political fallout for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who blamed the dearth of preparedness on his predecessor and mentioned he’d rush to activate a specialised anti-drone unit later this yr.
Yoon’s workplace and the South Korean Protection Ministry declined to remark.
The Pentagon additionally declined to remark, saying it doesn’t converse to “alleged intelligence leaks.” A spokesman didn’t handle questions on whether or not the Protection Division believes South Korea’s vulnerabilities pose a menace to the hundreds of U.S. service members and their households stationed there, or whether or not supplying substantial air protection techniques to Ukraine has strained its capacity to promote these techniques to South Korea.
“The U.S. relationship with the [Republic of Korea] is stronger than ever,” Military Lt. Col Martin Meiners mentioned, pointing to last month’s declaration of mutual protection that President Biden endorsed throughout Yoon’s go to to Washington.
The Discord leaks additionally embody categorized paperwork indicating the US eavesdropped on South Korean officers’ personal deliberations, together with their consideration of a U.S. request that Seoul ship artillery ammunition to Ukraine. South Korea has resisted doing so, citing the potential affect on commerce with Russia and fears Moscow would retaliate by serving to North Korea advance its weapons packages.
These disclosures drew sharp backlash from Yoon’s critics, who demanded he confront Washington concerning the difficulty. Yoon’s workplace has said “the allegations of an eavesdropping breach are fully unfaithful,” however didn’t make clear which components of the paperwork it deemed fabricated.
This newest intelligence evaluation, which has not been beforehand disclosed, dates to early March and seems to be a part of a briefing presentation for the U.S. navy’s senior management. It sheds new gentle on why South Korean forces struggled to detect, observe and destroy the drones throughout December’s incursion, pointing to an anemic air protection functionality not attuned to rising threats. Sluggish communication between floor radars and responding plane hampered the response, the doc says, and South Korean commanders lacked clear guidelines of engagement.
The doc additionally notes air protection protection gaps that could possibly be exploited by North Korean pilots in search of pockets of unsecured airspace. Concern over collateral injury was a further issue, it says.
Whereas Seoul has pledged to deal with these weaknesses and arise a counter-drone unit later this yr, it “seemingly would require 3-5 years to totally implement its plan” and purchase the requisite know-how and armaments, U.S. officers surmise.
South Korean forces “very seemingly will probably be unable to persistently enact a coordinated response to [North Korean drone] incursions for no less than the subsequent 6 months,” the doc says.
The incursion final winter was the primary public incident of its sort since 2017, when a North Korean reconnaissance drone crashed close to the border. The plane appeared to have taken pictures of a brand new U.S. missile protection system in South Korea, Seoul mentioned on the time.
South Korea has adopted some air protection capabilities, together with its acquisition of Israeli early warning radars. The incident in December, although, was a “wake-up name,” mentioned Ellen Kim, the deputy director of the Korea Chair on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research, a Washington-based assume tank.
“South Korea has been actually preoccupied with these missile packages and nuclear packages” in North Korea, she mentioned. It seems North Korea took benefit of that oversight, Kim mentioned.
Drones have for years been utilized by outmatched navy forces as an economical option to even the percentages. In Syria, for example, Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. bases utilizing one-way unmanned plane. In Ukraine, each Russian and Ukrainian troops use smaller drones to conduct reconnaissance and crash into targets.
These which can be smaller and fly low are tough even for superior air protection techniques to intercept. South Korean officers have acknowledged their wrestle to detect drones with a wingspan smaller than 10 ft, although they’ve mentioned bigger, military-size drones are simpler to see.
“That’s why North Korea has been specializing in the asymmetrical functionality, identical to nuclear weapons,” Kim mentioned.
Uk Yang, a navy technique knowledgeable on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research in Seoul, mentioned South Korea misplaced the benefit it had after growing unmanned plane within the Nineteen Nineties.
“The drone incursion raised questions within the presidential workplace about whether or not Seoul has been investing in its nationwide protection in a proper means,” Yang mentioned.
The race to safe South Korea’s skies has put monumental stress on its front-line troops, the leaked U.S. doc says. Items already function on excessive alert, and the newfound stress to deal with failures uncovered over the winter has contributed to “excessive ranges of stress and exhaustion,” it states, warning of difficulties to return with maintaining burned-out troops in uniform.
Yoon, a conservative who has taken a hard-line stance towards Pyongyang, instructed members of his cupboard after the incident that it had “clearly confirmed the necessity for extra intense readiness and coaching.”
Kim reported from Seoul and Lee reported from Tokyo.
South Korea has prioritized its defenses to confront incoming missiles whereas investing closely in rising its air and naval forces, however Seoul’s focus has come at the price of neglecting different air protection wants, specialists mentioned — leaving the nation weak to a menace liable for intensive carnage in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.
5 North Korean drones flew deep into South Korea on Dec. 26, together with one which pierced the no-fly zone round Seoul’s presidential workplace. The navy scrambled fighter jets and helicopters in response however didn’t shoot any of them down; a few of them disappeared from radar screens as they have been being tracked, navy officers said. The incident prompted political fallout for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who blamed the dearth of preparedness on his predecessor and mentioned he’d rush to activate a specialised anti-drone unit later this yr.
Yoon’s workplace and the South Korean Protection Ministry declined to remark.
The Pentagon additionally declined to remark, saying it doesn’t converse to “alleged intelligence leaks.” A spokesman didn’t handle questions on whether or not the Protection Division believes South Korea’s vulnerabilities pose a menace to the hundreds of U.S. service members and their households stationed there, or whether or not supplying substantial air protection techniques to Ukraine has strained its capacity to promote these techniques to South Korea.
“The U.S. relationship with the [Republic of Korea] is stronger than ever,” Military Lt. Col Martin Meiners mentioned, pointing to last month’s declaration of mutual protection that President Biden endorsed throughout Yoon’s go to to Washington.
The Discord leaks additionally embody categorized paperwork indicating the US eavesdropped on South Korean officers’ personal deliberations, together with their consideration of a U.S. request that Seoul ship artillery ammunition to Ukraine. South Korea has resisted doing so, citing the potential affect on commerce with Russia and fears Moscow would retaliate by serving to North Korea advance its weapons packages.
These disclosures drew sharp backlash from Yoon’s critics, who demanded he confront Washington concerning the difficulty. Yoon’s workplace has said “the allegations of an eavesdropping breach are fully unfaithful,” however didn’t make clear which components of the paperwork it deemed fabricated.
This newest intelligence evaluation, which has not been beforehand disclosed, dates to early March and seems to be a part of a briefing presentation for the U.S. navy’s senior management. It sheds new gentle on why South Korean forces struggled to detect, observe and destroy the drones throughout December’s incursion, pointing to an anemic air protection functionality not attuned to rising threats. Sluggish communication between floor radars and responding plane hampered the response, the doc says, and South Korean commanders lacked clear guidelines of engagement.
The doc additionally notes air protection protection gaps that could possibly be exploited by North Korean pilots in search of pockets of unsecured airspace. Concern over collateral injury was a further issue, it says.
Whereas Seoul has pledged to deal with these weaknesses and arise a counter-drone unit later this yr, it “seemingly would require 3-5 years to totally implement its plan” and purchase the requisite know-how and armaments, U.S. officers surmise.
South Korean forces “very seemingly will probably be unable to persistently enact a coordinated response to [North Korean drone] incursions for no less than the subsequent 6 months,” the doc says.
The incursion final winter was the primary public incident of its sort since 2017, when a North Korean reconnaissance drone crashed close to the border. The plane appeared to have taken pictures of a brand new U.S. missile protection system in South Korea, Seoul mentioned on the time.
South Korea has adopted some air protection capabilities, together with its acquisition of Israeli early warning radars. The incident in December, although, was a “wake-up name,” mentioned Ellen Kim, the deputy director of the Korea Chair on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research, a Washington-based assume tank.
“South Korea has been actually preoccupied with these missile packages and nuclear packages” in North Korea, she mentioned. It seems North Korea took benefit of that oversight, Kim mentioned.
Drones have for years been utilized by outmatched navy forces as an economical option to even the percentages. In Syria, for example, Iranian-backed militants have attacked U.S. bases utilizing one-way unmanned plane. In Ukraine, each Russian and Ukrainian troops use smaller drones to conduct reconnaissance and crash into targets.
These which can be smaller and fly low are tough even for superior air protection techniques to intercept. South Korean officers have acknowledged their wrestle to detect drones with a wingspan smaller than 10 ft, although they’ve mentioned bigger, military-size drones are simpler to see.
“That’s why North Korea has been specializing in the asymmetrical functionality, identical to nuclear weapons,” Kim mentioned.
Uk Yang, a navy technique knowledgeable on the Asan Institute for Coverage Research in Seoul, mentioned South Korea misplaced the benefit it had after growing unmanned plane within the Nineteen Nineties.
“The drone incursion raised questions within the presidential workplace about whether or not Seoul has been investing in its nationwide protection in a proper means,” Yang mentioned.
The race to safe South Korea’s skies has put monumental stress on its front-line troops, the leaked U.S. doc says. Items already function on excessive alert, and the newfound stress to deal with failures uncovered over the winter has contributed to “excessive ranges of stress and exhaustion,” it states, warning of difficulties to return with maintaining burned-out troops in uniform.
Yoon, a conservative who has taken a hard-line stance towards Pyongyang, instructed members of his cupboard after the incident that it had “clearly confirmed the necessity for extra intense readiness and coaching.”
Kim reported from Seoul and Lee reported from Tokyo.
