According to Associated Press news service, the US military has activated a high powered X-band radar outpost in Aomori Prefecture, Japan to protect against ballistic missiles, amid growing concerns of North Korean weapons programs. It is part of the joint US-Japan missile defense project that began in 1998 after North Korea fired a long range missile over Japan. The radar had been located on Misawa AB, Japan, and is now at Camp Shariki, both in Aomori.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.