The US military will maintain U-2 surveillance aircraft on the Korean peninsula until there is no doubt that there are enough RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles in the Pacific region to take over the U-2’s missions, Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of US Forces Korea, said Tuesday. “The Air Force has committed that to me,” Sharp told defense reporters in Washington, D.C. He added, “They are not going to pull off U-2s until the Global Hawks are not only in place, but there is some overlap so we can make sure the systems and all are working.” The Air Force currently operates some U-2s from Osan Air Base on the Korean peninsula. Continue
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.