5/31/26 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
05.31.2026 at 05:44pm
Access National Security News HERE.
National Security News:
1. The Traveling Maxim (PhD in a Barfight)
2. Pentagon’s Asia commander seeks funds to deter China on Taiwan
3. The U.S. Has Found a Way to Down a Drone Without Spending $1 Million
4. Remarks by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore (As Delivered)
5. Hegseth: ‘Freeloading’ allies must spend more to counter China
6. ‘Clear-eyed’ on China: the takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s Shangri-La speech
7. Why the US Navy must look to allies if it wants to catch up to China at sea
8. A new Meduza analysis finds Ukraine’s long-range strikes are reaching twice as deep but not surging in 2026. Russia’s refineries, meanwhile, keep bouncing back.
9. Beijing Trip Report: Impressions from a week in the Middle Kingdom in the wake of Trump and Putin visits.
10. Japanese defence minister rejects ‘new militarism’ label from China in Shangri-La speech
11. Ukraine turns real-life kills into video game thrills for drone pilots
12. C.I.A. Officer Arrested With Gold Once Worked With No. 2 Pentagon Official
13. Damn the torpedoes — More ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz as helicopters scare off Iran’s fast-attack boats
14. Taiwan’s more relaxed than most of us about Trumpian deal-making
15. Why Does Okinawa Have So Many US Military Bases?
16. China and Maritime Chokepoints: Hormuz, Malacca, and Indo-Pacific Vulnerability
17. How the ‘American Way of War’ failed in Iran
18. What the Iran war teaches Kim Jong Un
Korean News:
1. Commander of U.S. Forces Korea calls South Korea a ‘dagger’ aimed at China
2. S. Korea seeks to highlight efforts for ‘self-reliant’ defense at key security forum
3. Hegseth calls Lee’s push for early Opcon transfer a ‘breath of fresh air’
4. S. Korea, U.S., other countries call for designation of vessels over N.K. sanctions breaches
5. President Lee Jae-Myung attacks the U.S.-South Korea alliance
6. S. Korea discussed bilateral military logistics support pact with Japan: defense minister
7. Pro-China Left-Wing Label Sparks South Korea-U.S. Alliance Crisis
8. Lee’s ‘pragmatic’ diplomacy coasts through bumps in 1st year; N. Korea ties remain stalled
9. Defense minister seeks U.S. congressional support for S. Korea’s nuclear-powered sub project
10. N. Korean FM says Pyongyang shares common position with Russia on all strategic issues: report
11. How the ‘American Way of War’ failed in Iran
12. What the Iran war teaches Kim Jong Un
