Op NEON - CAF Helps Enforce N.Korea Sanctions

[Eye In The Sky]

I'm far from an expert, but yeah, the general area looks pretty busy to me (source)...
View attachment 66832

Now add in all the contacts not reporting on AIS and....then go find 2 or 3 boats that are working hard to NOT be found....

STSs (shit to ship transfers); this is also how many fishing fleets in the area operate - floating gas / bait stations, the fishers come alongside, take on stuff/offload stuff and go back to work. "finding a needle in a stack of needles where some needles are doing what you're looking for, but also NOT doing what you're looking for at the same time".

 

[dimsum]

STSs (shit to ship transfers)

That is the best typo. If that's a typo.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I guess I will submit to "must wear glasses, even on the laptop" idea. LOL

 

[brihard]

That is the best typo. If that's a typo.

Hah, nice.

And yeah- maritime interdiction of the cargo is pretty key when it can be achieved. The money trail is difficult to detect, harder to interdict.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Hah, nice.

And yeah- maritime interdiction of the cargo is pretty key when it can be achieved. The money trail is difficult to detect, harder to interdict.

True, but sometimes the pictures provide the proof that allows investigators to unravel the money trail. I will be deliberately vague with this anecdote, but the crew I was on once managed to pull off a very difficult imagery grab that literally unravelled a very large, internationally funded smuggling ring. Our photos were the smoking gun.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Hah, nice.

And yeah- maritime interdiction of the cargo is pretty key when it can be achieved. The money trail is difficult to detect, harder to interdict.

I like how some nations make a big demonstration sinking or blowing up seized ships.

 

[brihard]

True, but sometimes the pictures provide the proof that allows investigators to unravel the money trail. I will be deliberately vague with this anecdote, but the crew I was on once managed to pull off a very difficult imagery grab that literally unravelled a very large, internationally funded smuggling ring. Our photos were the smoking gun.

That's awesome. They run most of their banking through sympathetic Chinese banks, and obfuscate the money through Chinese or other foreign trading companies. The weak spot is the correspondent US banks that let them do US dollar transactions, since many companies will only deal in $USD - but getting the proof of that can be hard. It's the use of US banks that brings them within American sanctions.

Canada has its own sanctions, both our own unilateral ones, and as part of the broader U.N. sanctions regime. Like any of these sanctions regimes, proving a Canadian nexus to the point of being able to prosecute looks like it's pretty hard, given how rarely we hear anything about it.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

That's awesome. They run most of their banking through sympathetic Chinese banks, and obfuscate the money through Chinese or other foreign trading companies. The weak spot is the correspondent US banks that let them do US dollar transactions, since many companies will only deal in $USD - but getting the proof of that can be hard. It's the use of US banks that brings them within American sanctions.

Canada has its own sanctions, both our own unilateral ones, and as part of the broader U.N. sanctions regime. Like any of these sanctions regimes, proving a Canadian nexus to the point of being able to prosecute looks like it's pretty hard, given how rarely we hear anything about it.

While some of the folks implicated by our photos might have seen the inside of a courtroom, sometimes the goals are a little larger…

 

[brihard]

While some of the folks implicated by our photos might have seen the inside of a courtroom, sometimes the goals are a little larger…

Yup. I of course have a professional bias, but I recognize that the courtroom is generally not the biggest tent in the circus for this stuff, and that the bigger intelligence picture to fuel further interdiction efforts is generally going to be more significant in achieving the policy objective.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Aside from all this "UNSCR enforcement" stuff ....it's a great deployment and has some unique opportunity with it; once-in-a-lifetime for me was....Remembrance Day at Asan Beach (Guam), visiting Hacksaw Ridge and standing at Desmond Doss Point. Also managed to score a few days/nights in the Sinjuku district and see parts of northern Japan.

Wish I was on the crew going! But....I'll just keep doing this fun DLN stuff...

 

[dimsum]

Canadian military plane intercepted by Chinese jets 'numerous' times in recent weeks

Chinese military jets conducted several intercepts of a Royal Canadian Air Force patrol plane as it flew surveillance sorties from Japan as part of an international effort to enforce sanctions against North Korea, the Department of National Defence confirmed Tuesday.

vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca

 

[Eye In The Sky]

So, really this is “ops normal” for at least 4 years now.

From earlier this year:

China Denies Harassing Canadian, Australian Patrol Aircraft in the Western Pacific - USNI News

Beijing is denying that People’s Liberation Army forces harassed Australian and Canadian patrol aircraft in the Western Pacific, claiming that in both cases the aircraft endangered China’s security. Last week, the Canadian Armed Forces issued a statement claiming that on several occasions, while...

news.usni.org

From 4 years ago (when there was no NEON and it was all PROJECTION); I was on this crew and can vouch that the intercepts happened, they were close and “non-standard voice procedures” were used.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4953093

If it is so dangerous, why aren’t the MPA flying with escorts? The same story repeats itself - MPA intercepted by Chinese fighters in international airspace. Countries that own the MPAs put stories out about the danger.

And change not one single thing in the way the op is executed.

If there is a real danger to crews and planes, put escorts up with them.

 

[MilEME09]

So, really this is “ops normal” for at least 4 years now.

From earlier this year:

China Denies Harassing Canadian, Australian Patrol Aircraft in the Western Pacific - USNI News

Beijing is denying that People’s Liberation Army forces harassed Australian and Canadian patrol aircraft in the Western Pacific, claiming that in both cases the aircraft endangered China’s security. Last week, the Canadian Armed Forces issued a statement claiming that on several occasions, while...

news.usni.org

From 4 years ago (when there was no NEON and it was all PROJECTION); I was on this crew and can vouch that the intercepts happened, they were close and “non-standard voice procedures” were used.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4953093

If it is so dangerous, why aren’t the MPA flying with escorts? The same story repeats itself - MPA intercepted by Chinese fighters in international airspace. Countries that own the MPAs put stories out about the danger.

And change not one single thing in the way the op is executed.

If there is a real danger to crews and planes, put escorts up with them.

We don't just whip out our F-18s when ever we want around here

 

[brihard]

Would the 18s have anything close to the legs for that?

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Would the 18s have anything close to the legs for that?

With tanker support - the TF is usually comprised of us, the USN, RNZAF, and RAAF. There was lots of USAF assets including refuelers at Kadena.

 

[dimsum]

Would the 18s have anything close to the legs for that?

Inflight refuelling. Although being strapped into a seat for 8-10 hours isn’t my idea of fun, and likely not in the recruiting brochure.

 

[dapaterson]

I think we need truly honest recruiting materials, and to show the fighter pilots in their adult diapers.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I think we need truly honest recruiting materials, and to show the fighter pilots in their adult diapers.

Some would call the space between the 60th parallel and the North Pole, "Piss Jug Alley"

 

[Good2Golf]

Inflight refuelling. Although being strapped into a seat for 8-10 hours isn’t my idea of fun, and likely not in the recruiting brochure.

Call sign ‘Holditin’ agrees.

 

[dimsum]

Call sign ‘Holditin’ agrees.

Better than ‘Cleanup on Aisle 2’