In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, January 18th
South Korea Announces Arms Deal with the UAE, Iran’s Domestic Missile Capabilities, Cambodia’s Visit to Myanmar Results in Regional Blowback
South Korea Announces Arms Deal with the UAE
South Korea has signed the largest arms export deal in its history, a deal which will see the country export midrange surface-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates. Valued at roughly $3.5 billion, the contract for the Cheongung II KM-SAM weapons was signed during a meeting in Dubai between Emirati Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktouma and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
A Cheongung II KM-SAM battery consists of four to six launchers, a multifunction phased array radar, and a fire command vehicle. The launcher fires missiles that can apparently intercept up to six targets flying at altitudes below 40 kilometres, and the system has a reported detection range of 100 kilometres. South Korean defence companies will work together with Emirati defence forces to deliver the Cheongung II: LIG Nex1 will assist with integration; Hanwha Systems will provide a radar; and Hanwha Defense will develop the vertical launcher and resupply vehicles. In addition to the deal, the two governments also signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on defence technologies going forward/
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Iran’s Domestic Missile Capabilities
The Iran-Iraq war which took place between 1980 and 1988 has come to define Iran’s national security strategies. The Iranian government, having learned valuable lessons from its isolated position throughout the course of that war, began supporting its own indigenous defence industry in the 1990s in a bid to develop an effective defence against foreign attack. In particular, Iran has invested heavily in building up its arsenal of ballistic missiles.
The core of Iran’s defensive capabilities today are derived from the country’s ballistic missile program. This is in part due to the weakness of the country’s aging air force, but also due to the fact that crippling sanctions have worked to limit Tehran’s ability to import advanced weaponry. As a result, Iran has sought to harness what resources it can toward manufacturing missiles at relatively low cost. Over time, Tehran’s ballistic missile program has come to form a central pillar in the country’s defence strategy. This strategy is coupled with another low-cost approach to guard against external threats, namely, an asymmetric warfare doctrine aimed at exploiting the weaknesses of other states.
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Cambodia’s Visit to Myanmar Results in Regional Blowback
Four Southeast Asian nations have criticized a recent unilateral visit to Myanmar by Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen. Sen travelled to Myanmar earlier this month for talks aimed at resolving the delicate crisis gripping Myanmar since the military takeover last February. But several other Southeast Asian nations expressed concern about the Cambodian government’s unilateral engagement with Naypyidaw, particularly due to the fact that Cambodia is currently occupying the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN.
Cambodia’s government has said that the country intends to pursue a policy of pragmatic engagement with the military government in Naypyidaw. But several ASEAN members have objected to Phnom Penh’s unilateral approach to the issue. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded Cambodia that it should proceed according to the Five-Point Consensus established in previous ASEAN meetings. The Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement underlining the centrality of ASEAN to the resolution of the conflict in Myanmar. The Foreign Minister of the Philippines welcomed the Cambodian visit, but warned that talks “must include all, not just a select few.” Lastly, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister expressed regret that Hun Sen did not consult other ASEAN members before embarking on his state visit.
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