 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
SKorean military seeks budget increase to deter NKorea
Seoul (AFP) July 9, 2009 South Korea's military said Thursday it is seeking more money in next year's budget, to strengthen defences against North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. The defence ministry said it had requested a budget of 30.8 trillion won (24 billion dollars) for 2010, equivalent to 2.8 percent of gross domestic product. The 7.9-percent increase reflects "additional reinforcements to cope with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," vice minister Chang Soo-Man told reporters. South Korea's 655,000-strong military, backed up by a 28,500-strong US contingent, faces off against North Korea's 1.2 million-member armed forces. South Korea is expanding its range of high-tech military assets capable of monitoring and striking North Korean nuclear and missile bases. Cross-border relations have been hostile for over a year, since Seoul's new conservative government rolled back a "sunshine" policy of aid and engagement with Pyongyang. The North is also engaged in a standoff with the international community over its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Last Saturday the North test-fired seven missiles in an apparent show of defiance against tougher UN sanctions imposed for its May nuclear test. Seoul's unification ministry said that from Friday, South Koreans who want to carry luxury items into the North would need prior authorisation. It said the restrictions were in accordance with the latest UN sanctions adopted June 12. These prohibit most weapons trades with Pyongyang and call on member states to tighten earlier measures, which banned exports of luxury goods to the North. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Canada spends 4.3 bln dlrs to upgrade combat vehiclesOttawa (AFP) July 8, 2009 The Canadian government said Wednesday it was committing some five billion dollars (4.3 billion US) to modernize its fleet of armored vehicles and other combat carriers, many of which are used in Afghanistan. Ottawa anticipates investing four billion Canadian dollars (3.44 billion US dollars) in procuring between 650 and 800 new vehicles as part of its next generation land combat fleet ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook