TOP NEWS F-35 talks to US Army’s missile command system, says Lockheed Defense News Trump: South Korea agreed to pay U.S. more to defend from North Korea Politico U.S. carrier sails into disputed South China Sea waters amid new flare-ups Military Times U.S. Nuclear Policy F-35 talks to US Army’s missile command system, says Lockheed Defense News8/6/19 The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter demonstrated its ability to send data to the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System during the Orange Flag Evaluation 19-2 at Palmdale, California, and Fort Bliss, Texas, in June. Middle East Iran ‘favors’ talks despite Trump snub Channel News Asia8/6/19 President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Iran favors talks with the U.S. if it lifts sanctions against the Islamic republic, despite his top diplomat turning down a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. East Asia Kim says North Korea’s missile launches were intended to send a warning Time8/6/19 North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire demonstration of newly developed, short-range ballistic missiles intended to send a warning to the United States and South Korea over their joint military exercises. Trump: South Korea agreed to pay U.S. more to defend from North Korea Politico8/7/19 President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced South Korea “has agreed to pay substantially more money” to the U.S. government “to defend itself” from Kim Jong Un’s regime in North Korea, which harbors nuclear ambitions and has escalated regional tensions with a series of recent missile launches. China warns U.S. against sending missiles to Asia amid fears of an arms race New York Times8/6/19 China warned it would “not stand idly by” if the United States deployed ground-based missiles to Asia, as a bruising trade war and strained relations fueled fears of an arms race between Beijing, Washington and Moscow. U.S. carrier sails into disputed South China Sea waters amid new flare-ups Military Times8/6/19 A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sailed through the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday in the latest show of America’s military might amid new territorial flare-ups involving China and three rival claimant states. South Asia Pakistan could go to war with India after Kashmir crackdown, warns Imran Khan The Independent8/6/19 Pakistan has warned war could break out with India after its neighbor announced plans to revoke the semi-autonomous status of the disputed region of Kashmir. Opinion/Analysis/Commentary A nuclear world in disarray Australian Strategic Policy InstituteRamesh Thakur 8/7/19 Geopolitical tensions have spiked, the nuclear arms control architecture is fraying and crumbling, and no negotiations are underway to reduce global nuclear stockpiles. Trump the Bulldozer The AtlanticDavid A. Graham 8/7/19 Freed of advisers who disagreed with him, the president has followed through on some long-deferred campaign promises—but the results are not what he hoped for. Moving on from INF: Let’s harness the potential of the Missile Technology Control Regime Defense NewsTom Callahan 8/6/19 While the INF is dead, the MTCR should be vibrant for many years to come – so long as it can evolve to meet changing technologies and circumstances. Who needs ICBMs? Defense OneJessica Sleight and William D. Hartung 8/6/19 Does the United States even need ICBMs for its defense?