Five Things to Know, July 24, 2023
1. A U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine arrived at South Korea’s southern island of Jeju on Monday, nearly a week after another U.S. submarine sailed into the country in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile tests. The USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class submarine, sailed into South Korea’s Jeju Naval Base to replenish its ordnance, South Korean navy spokesman Jang Do-young told reporters Monday during a Ministry of National Defense briefing in Seoul.
2. The American-led U.N. Command said Monday it has started a conversation with North Korea about a U.S. soldier who ran into the North last week across one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders. Andrew Harrison, a British lieutenant general who is the deputy commander at the U.N. Command, refused to say when the conversation started, how many exchanges have taken place and whether the North Koreans responded constructively, citing the sensitivity of the discussions. He also declined to detail what the command knows about Pvt. Travis King’s condition.
3. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow early Monday that saw one of the aircraft fall near the Defense Ministry’s main headquarters, while the Russian military unleashed new strikes on port infrastructure in southern Ukraine. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties when the drones struck two nonresidential buildings in Moscow. Separately, a Ukrainian drone struck an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, forcing a halt in traffic on a major highway, Russian authorities said.
4. Congress is poised to advance two major pieces of defense legislation ahead of the start of its end-of-summer break, but completion of either measure is still months away. The Senate is expected to finalize its version of the annual defense authorization bill before the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee is set to vote on Thursday on its budget plan for the Defense Department for next fiscal year.
5. China sent dozens of warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, toward Taiwan, the island’s Defense Ministry said Saturday, marking a forceful display days before the democracy plans to hold military exercises aimed at defending itself against a possible invasion. Taiwan is due to hold its annual Han Kuang exercise next week, during which its military will hold combat readiness drills for preventing an invasion. It will also conduct the annual Wan’an exercises aimed at preparing civilians for natural disasters and practicing evacuations in case of an air raid.