Meanwhile, back in Russia...

I now know why the North Koreans are soooo concerned with Operation Ulji Focus Lens.

The exercise also coincides with a rare joint military drill between China and Russia, sparking fears of rekindled military tensions in the region.
About 10,000 U.S. troops from bases in South Korea and elsewhere in the region will join Ulchi Focus Lens, which largely is a computer-simulated war game designed to test combined U.S. and South Korean readiness against North Korean threats.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries hold several joint military exercises each year. North Korea condemns them as preparations to invade the North.
In statements last week, North Korea said the exercises "drive the situation on the peninsula to an extreme pitch of tension,"
Washington keeps 32,000 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War. They, along with the American forces in Japan and Guam, form the mainstay of U.S. military influence in the region.

Operation Peace Scatter Prism 2005 is giving them a bad case of "light envy".













Meanwhile, back in China, state-run Chinese media reported that Chinese and Russian forces would begin a three-day combat exercise on Tuesday, mobilizing navy vessels, fighter jets and tanks.
More than 7,000 Chinese troops will join 1,800 Russian troops to train for an offshore blockade involving guided missile destroyers and jet fighters, a joint amphibious landing by air force and marine paratroopers and a forced evacuation, a senior officer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
The drills are the third phase of the eight-day Peace Mission 2005 exercises that began Thursday near the city of Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast.