Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen was in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Monday to get a progress report from U.S. commanders and local leaders.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has already received more than 90,000 applications for new benefits offered under the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

U.S. forces are withdrawing from the southern Iraqi city of Basra, with fewer than 200 Soldiers remaining to support Iraqi security forces.

Master Sergeant Chester Ovnond and Major Dale Bice are being remembered as the first killed in action during the Vietnam War.

The Commander of U.S. Forces Korea says recent provocations from North Korea have only served to strengthen ties between the U.S.
and South Korea.

A U.S. commander in Iraq says some extremist elements still exist, but Basra now has a sense of optimism thanks to the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces.

U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers continue their push deeper into southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province as part of Operation Khanjar.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen says the initial trends of stability in Iraq are positive since U.S. troops withdrew from the country’s major cities.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen says he’s comfortable with the current U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen says the U.S. and the international community continue to keep a close eye on the situation in North Korea.

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara died today at his Washington, DC, home at the age of 93.

President Barack Obama is in Moscow for a two-day summit which will include meetings about nuclear arsenal reductions.

North Korea has test-fire two short-range missiles from its eastern coast. It is unclear what type of missiles were launched. This latest test comes just six weeks after the communist North set off an underground nuclear test

I would well imagine that most – if not all – of us have our preconceived notion of what the Kim Jong-Mentally-Il regime is all about.  Unpredictable, for certain.  Certainly bold in their approach to the West and the rest of the international community.  And most assuredly, they have made some boneheaded decisions in reference to their country and their people.

But nonetheless, despite what we know or think about the North Korean leadership, there’s at least one person who knows a lot more than we do: an actual North Korean defector.  That’s right, a defector from the Hermit Kingdom.  And he had plenty to say.  The defector in question?  He would be one Kim Kwang Jin.  Now a little bit about him.

He is 42 years old, a former English professor at a computer college in Pyongyang (the north Korean capital) and now a visiting fellow with the D.C.-based Committee for Human Rights.  And he is also, according to NorKor analysts, the first English-speaking defector to escape the country.

And some of the things that he had to share – specifically in an interview with FOX News – were quite revealing, including a stint with the Northeast Asia Bank and Korea National Insurance Corporation, where he handled accounts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  Some disclosures by Kwang Jin include:

• Two economies existed in North Korea – one administered by the North Korean Cabinet and a “Royal Court economy”, which is financed by illegal enterprises internationally and providing the hard currency which kept Kim Jong-Il and his buddies in power and luxury.

According to Kwang Jin,

“Kim [Jong Il] himself enjoys a lavish lifestyle. He is giving gifts to his associates: the Mercedes-Benz[es] and whiskeys, first-class room and [air]fare from Japan. Everything’s provided to his aides….Kim Jong Il himself is now ruling the country with [the] dollar, hard currency….Without hard currency they cannot rule the country.”

He also mentioned that the regime’s largest source of hard currency comes from the secret manufacture and sale of weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s).  After that comes the regime’s multibillion-dollar insurance fraud business, in which authorities stage arson and bogus accidents in which to collect multimillion-dollar payouts from international banks and insurers.

Kwang Jin is of the belief that the North Koreans have never dealt in good faith with the U.S. (that’s stating the obvious as the NorKors have never dealt in good faith with just about everyone save their cohorts) and at the same time, he thinks that financial sanctions will be the way to bring the NorKors to their knees as it is expected that the successor to Jong-Il (his son Kim Jong Un) will be markedly weaker.

Perhaps the timing of Kwang Jin’s coming out with this information could be beneficial to the Obama administration; however, I think it is highly unlikely that they will consult with him and try to benefit from this North Korean defector’s wealth of knowledge.

Iraqi troops take the lead in major cities. Adm. James Stavridis takes charge of U.S. European Command. The Marine Corps’ most decorated aviator is buried.

Admiral Timothy Keating told an audience in Washington, DC North Korea’s recent activities are disturbing and unsettling.

The Commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, spoke with reporters in Cairo Monday about Iraqi forces taking the lead in their country’s security.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, about future challenges both countries face.

The North Koreans, they’re a funny bunch over there.  As we all know, sanctions – whether from the U.N. or elsewhere – mean absolutely nothing to them, as their recent actions have proven.  Yet here they are again, throwing out there those threats that they’ve become real good at doing.

As a matter of fact, earlier today the NorKors threatened to wipe the U.S. off the face of the map.  Sound familiar to any of you?  It should.  For those of you who haven’t been following the happenings of the North Koreans, they have launched several missiles recently.  And very recently, they commissioned one of their ships – the Kang Nam, specifically – to go to Burma (supposedly Burma, anyways).  And one of our Navy destroyers, the USS John McCain, has recently been tailing the North Korean vessel.

The ship more than likely has cargo aboard; some possible cargo on the ship may include, but not be limited to missiles, nuclear parts and components or a combination of the aforementioned.  But suspicious cargo, nonetheless.  Currently, there’s a U.N resolution in place which member states (that includes us, folks) need permission to inspect suspect cargo.  And not surprisingly, the NorKors think that this is enough reason to make a declaration of war. 

What North Korea does not realize is that eventually, something will have to give here.  If they choose to disregard sanctions thrown at them, then there will be a heavy price to pay – and more than likely it would involve some form of a military option.  And I can assure you, the NorKors – just on sheer numbers alone – don’t stand a chance against the U.S.  But then again, we have a sitting president and Secretary of State who is clueless on foreign policy; just that reality should concern you in and of itself.

The funny thing is that when we have a Democrat in the White House, instead of being proactive militarily, they would rather choose appeasement – or in layman’s terms, tuck tail and run.  And in these uncertain times, that’s a scary thought.

As I had expected all along, the North Korean ship Kang Nam was going to be followed.  It wasn’t even a matter of if it would be followed, but when it would happen.  and to think that none of this would be necessary if the North Koreans hadn’t launched those missiles and performed that underground nuclear test.

But nonetheless, one of the U.S.’s navy destroyers are on Kang Nam’s trail.  And the name should bring about instant recall: the USS John McCain.  As soon as the Kang Nam leaves the area off the coast of China, the McCain will intercept the vessel.  According to well-placed sources, the North Korean ship on Wednesday left a port in North Korea and appears to be heading towards Singapore.  As I had noted yesterday, the Kang Nam could possibly have cargo aboard, including weaponry, nuclear materials, missile parts or a combination of the aforementioned.

I would suspect that the next 24-48 hours will be key as to what the next movements by the Kang Nam and the USS McCain will be.  I think the NorKor vessel will flinch – meaning that they will probably return to their home port in their country.  I could very well be wrong, but I think even the North Koreans are smart enough to know that there’s strength in numbers and we easily have them beat on that alone.