ROK NAVY The future of the South Korean Navy’s CVX aircraft carrier programme is uncertain. Dissenters in the new government and the recent approval of the purchase of 20 additional F-35As for the RoK Air Force may lead to further delays or even its abandonment. The US$3 billion investment in new aircraft is in line with military strategy for pre-emptive strikes against North Korean nuclear and missile facilities if an attack is imminent.
RN The Ministry of Defence has revealed details of the interception in the Persian Gulf of smugglers carrying sophisticated weapons from Iran. The items included surfaceto-air-missiles and engines for land attack cruise missiles, in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 2216. The seizures, in January and February, were carried out by Royal Marines boarding teams from HMS Montrose after the speedboats were spotted from the frigate’s Wildcat helicopter.