KN Nuclear Test News Roundup

[SWJED]

On Today's SWJ Daily News Links...

Click on the link above for:

North Korea

• U.S. Doubts N. Korean Test Was Nuclear - Washington Times
• Low Yield Of Blast Surprises Analysts - Washington Post
• Blast May Be Only a Partial Success, Experts Say - New York Times
• Even if Device Was Flawed, Test Crossed a Threshold - Los Angeles Times
• The Moment that Shook the World - London Times
• U.S. Proposes Stringent U.N. Sanctions Against N. Korea - Voice of America
• Pentagon Assesses Responses, Including Possible Blockade - New York Times
• U.S. Proposes Embargo, Sanctions on N. Korea - Washington Post
• World Condemns North Korea - Los Angeles Times
• Condemnation Swift, But Options Limited - USA Today
• World Powers Ponder Sanctions - London Daily Telegraph
• Bush Seeks Action from U.N., 6 Parties - Washington Times
• Bush Rebukes North Korea; U.S. Seeks New U.N. Sanctions - New York Times
• U.S., Japan Lead Push to Sanction Pyongyang - Washington Times
• Nuclear Test Sparks Global Condemnation - Voice of America
• U.N. Members Condemn N. Korea Over Test - Associated Press
• Bush Condemns N. Korean Nuclear Test - Voice of America
• S. Korea, Japan Condemn N. Korea - Voice of America
• Tough Talk From Seoul, if Little Will for a Fight - New York Times
• Rattled South Koreans Consider Test a Betrayal - Los Angeles Times
• China Condemns N. Korean Nuclear Test - Voice of America
• Angry China Is Likely to Toughen Its Stand on N. Korea - New York Times
• China Opposes Military Action - Associated Press
• China Rules Out War But Not Sanctions - Reuters
• Neighbors See Threat, 'Betrayal' in Nuclear Test - Washington Times
• North Korea Rocks Asia's Status Quo - Christian Science Monitor
• North Korea's Political, Economic Gamble - Washington Post
• A Look at Sanctions Against North Korea - Associated Press
• A Look at N. Korea Nuclear Capabilities - Associated Press
• Verifying Nuclear Test Blasts - Associated Press
• Weapons of the World's Nuclear Powers - Associated Press
• Text of North Korea's Nuke Announcement - Associated Press Transcript
• For U.S., a Strategic Jolt After N. Korea’s Test - New York Times Analysis
• Test 'Changes the Landscape' for U.S. Officials - Washington Post Analysis
• Next Step Depends on U.S. and China - Los Angeles Times Analysis
• Diverted Attention, Neglect Set the Stage - Los Angeles Times Analysis
• The Defiant One - Washington Times Editorial
• Responding to North Korea - Washington Post Editorial
• North Korea and the Bomb - New York Times Editorial
• Kim Jong Il's Challenge to China - Los Angeles Times Editorial
• Rebottling N. Korea's Nuclear Genie - Christian Science Monitor Editorial
• New Dawn of a Dangerous Age - The Australian Editorial
• Answering North Korea - Washington Post Editorial
• The North Korea Nuclear Puzzle - Los Angeles Times Editorial
• North Korea and the Dominoes - New York Times Editorial
• Raising the Stakes - Wall Street Journal Commentary
• Coming-Out Party - Washington Times Commentary
• In a Test, a Reason to Talk - Washington Post Commentary
• No More Negotiating With N. Korea - Los Angeles Times Commentary
• Talking With the Monsters - New York Times Commentary
• Is U.S. N. Korea Policy Working? - Real Clear Politics Commentary
• Now What? - Slate Commentary
• It’s the Nukes, Stupid - National Review Commentary
• Wanted: New Deterrent For a Tyrant - London Times Commentary
• Region in For a Shakeup - The Australian Commentary
• If Kim Jong Il Gets Nukes - Los Angeles Times Commentary
• Correct Response is Critical - The Australian Commentary
• Stalking the Hermit - Tech Central Station Commentary
• He Huffs and He Puffs - Weekly Standard Commentary
• 'Dear Leader' Feels Ignored - Real Clear Politics Commentary
• North Korea: War Is Coming To American Soil - Captain's Quarters Blog
• It's Always America's Fault - Belmont Club Blog
• North Korea Tests Nuclear Weapon - The Fourth Rail Blog
• North Korea Nuke Test Stirs Region - Threats Watch Blog
• "Collapse Brinkmanship" - The Adventures of Chester Blog
• Was N. Korea Testing a Suitcase Nuke? - Belmont Club Blog
• Fizzlemas In North Korea - Captain's Quarters Blog
• Stratfor: No "Satisfactory Military Solution" - Counterterrorism Blog

Rogue Nuclear States

• Mutually Assured Disruption - New York Times Commentary

Japan

• Japan Likely to Rally Behind PM’s Call for a Strong Military - NY Times
• Japan's PM Abe Gets Helping Hand From N. Korea - Reuters

"U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday."

"U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that seismic readings show that the conventional high explosives used to create a chain reaction in a plutonium-based device went off, but that the blast's readings were shy of a typical nuclear detonation."

--Washington Times, U.S. Doubts N. Korean Test Was Nuclear

[SWJED]

On today's SWJ Daily News Links...

North Korea

• Report: N. Korea Threatens More Nuke Tests - Associated Press
• Scientists Still Analyzing Claim of Nuclear Test - Voice of America
• U.S. Waits for Information On Nature and Success of Device - Washington Post
• Small Blast, or ‘Big Deal’? U.S. Experts Look for Clues - New York Times
• White House Casts Doubt on N. Korean Nuclear Arms - Reuters
• Was North Korea's Nuclear Device a Dud? - Associated Press
• U.S. Envoy: Nuclear Test May Never be Verified - Reuters
• Cold War Aircraft Searches Sky for Proof of Test - London Times
• Even a Small Nuke Poses Big Threat - USA Today
• 'No Evidence' of Second Nuclear Test - The Australian
• Japan Quake Reported as 2nd Test - Washington Times
• North Korean Proliferation at Heart of Nuke Test Issue - AFPS
• Israel Worried North Korea May Help Iran - Associated Press
• Rice Asserts U.S. Plans No Attack on North Korea - New York Times
• N. Korea: Sanctions Would Start War - London Daily Telegraph
• Kim Has Case of ‘Malign Narcissism,’ Expert Says' - Los Angeles Times
• Economy Built on Drugs, Ivory Poachers and Counterfeiters - London Times
• North Korea and Iran - Washington Times Editorial
• In Search of a North Korea Policy - Washington Post Commentary
• Dancing with Kim - Washington Times Commentary
• Kim Kindled Nuclear Funeral Pyre - London Times Commentary
• Solving the Stalemate, One Step at a Time - New York Times Commentary
• Perils from Pyongyang - Washington Times Commentary
• North Korea Isn't Our Problem - Los Angeles Times Commentary
• It's Always America's Fault - Belmont Club Blog
• North Korea Tests Nuclear Weapon - The Fourth Rail Blog
• North Korea Nuke Test Stirs Region - Threats Watch Blog
• "Collapse Brinkmanship" - The Adventures of Chester Blog
• Was N. Korea Testing a Suitcase Nuke? - Belmont Club Blog
• Fizzlemas In North Korea - Captain's Quarters Blog
• Stratfor: No "Satisfactory Military Solution" - Counterterrorism Blog
• A U.N. Blockade of North Korea? - Westhawk Blog
• Second Nuke Test Reported, but Veracity Doubted - Belmont Club Blog
• North Korea Warns: Bigger Tests, Missile Launch - Threats Watch Blog
• Senator John McCain On North Korea - Captain's Quarters Blog

South Korea

• North-South Korea Relations Suffer A Sudden Chill - Washington Post
• S. Koreans Feel Betrayed by Nuke Threat - USA Today
• Koreas' Ties Likely to Bend, Not Break - Washington Times
• S. Korea May Bolster Conventional Arsenal - Associated Press
• All Quiet on Korea's DMZ, Just a Bit More Spit - Reuters
• N. Korean Troops at DMZ Said Bolder - Associated Press

China

• China Says It Will Back Sanctions On N. Korea - Washington Post
• China Hints Agreement on N. Korea - Washington Times
• China Joins Clamor to Curb N. Korea - London Daily Telegraph
• China Rules Out Military Action, But Not Sanctions - Voice of America
• China Supports Sanctions Against N. Korea - USA Today
• China: N. Korea Faces 'Punitive Actions' - Associated Press
• China Says N. Korea Should be Punished - Reuters
• China Ponders a Problematic Friendship - Christian Science Monitor

Japan

• Japan Mulling Harsh Sanctions Against N. Korea - Voice of America
• Japan to Keep Prohibition on Nukes - Washington Times

Asia

• The Scramble for a Way to Stop Nukes - Christian Science Monitor
• Word of Test Confirms Stances in 2 Nations - New York Times
• United in Their Protests, Not Their Politics - Los Angeles Times
• Wary Neighbors Shy Away from Punishing N. Korea - London Times
• A Nuclear Leviathan in the Pacific - The Adventures of Chester Blog

Pakistan

• Pakistan Denies N. Korea Nuke Test Link - Associated Press

Rogue Nuclear States / Post-Cold War Period

• U.S. Fears Export of Technology - Los Angeles Times
• Rogue Realities - National Review Editorial
• Mutually Assured Disruption - New York Times Commentary
• We Need a New Deterrent - Washington Post Commentary
• The Bus is Waiting - New York Times Commentary

[selil]

http://washingtontimes.com/national/...2702-4895r.htm (pop up warning)

The Pentagon has stepped up planning for attacks against North Korea's nuclear program and is bolstering nuclear forces in Asia, said defense officials familiar with the highly secret process.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the accelerated military planning includes detailed programs for striking a North Korean plutonium-reprocessing facility at Yongbyon with special operations commando raids or strikes with Tomahawk cruise missiles or other precision-guided weapons.

The effort, which had been under way for several months, was given new impetus by Pyongyang's underground nuclear test Oct. 9 and growing opposition to the nuclear program of Kim Jong-il's communist regime, especially by China and South Korea.

A Pentagon official said the Department of Defense is considering "various military options" to remove the program.

"Other than nuclear strikes, which are considered excessive, there are several options now in place. Planning has been accelerated," the official said.

A second, senior defense official privy to the effort said the Bush administration recently affirmed its commitment to both South Korea and Japan that it would use U.S. nuclear weapons to deter North Korea, now considered an unofficial nuclear weapon state.

"We will resort to whatever force levels we need to have, to defend the Republic of Korea. That nuclear deterrence is in place," said the senior official, who declined to reveal what nuclear forces are deployed in Asia.

Other officials said the forces include bombs and air-launched missiles stored at Guam, a U.S. island in the western Pacific, that could be delivered by B-52 or B-2 bombers. Nine U.S. nuclear-missile submarines regularly deploy to Asian waters from Washington state.

The officials said one military option calls for teams of Navy SEALs or other special operations commandos to conduct covert raids on Yongbyon's plutonium-reprocessing facility.

The commandos would blow up the facility to prevent further reprocessing of the spent fuel rods, which provides the material for developing nuclear weapons.

A second option calls for strikes by precision-guided Tomahawk missiles on the reprocessing plant from submarines or ships. The plan calls for simultaneous strikes from various sides to minimize any radioactive particles being carried away in the air.

Planners estimate that six Tomahawks could destroy the reprocessing plant and that it would take five to 10 years to rebuild.

[SWJED]

... Even if there was only an iota of a chance we would use force against the DPRK; planning, accelerated or not, is what they get paid for.

[Uboat509]

I have to wonder if this is one of those intentional "leaks" so that we can tell NK "If you keep screwing with us we will crush you," without actually saying "If you keep screwing with us we will crush you."

SFC W