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U.S. will continue to track N. Korean vessels: Navy chief
SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Navy's top admiral indicated Monday his forces will continue to track North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons banned under a U.N. resolution."As circumstances arise in the future, we will continue to support the resolution," U.S. Admiral Gary Roughead said in a roundtable meeting with journalists in Seoul. "We will conduct operations in support of that." A North Korean freighter, the Kang Nam, sailed back home Monday afternoon after apparently failing to reach Myanmar while being tracked by a U.S. Navy destroyer. "What recently happened with the Kang Nam is a very effective way of stopping proliferation," Roughead said, adding that the U.S. Navy is working to build a "maritime domain of awareness." "Even though we had a ship in proximity to the Kang Nam, there are many other means by which we monitor, track and account for contacts of interest," he said. "It's more than just one ship on one ship." "Every dimension of the United States Navy is part of building that maritime domain of awareness picture," he said. "That is what our forces in the western Pacific are here to do." Roughead declined to comment on how his forces would react if North Korean ships reacted violently, because it could provide Pyongyang "an undue advantage" in strategic information. "I think it is incumbent on all who sail on the seas to do all they can to minimize events like that," he said. "Our commanding officers and sailors are trained and exercised to be able to control events and situations." Posted by: Steve White 2009-07-07 |
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