U.S. confirms debris from North Korean balloon found near on-base school, D-Day 80th anniversary commemoration begins, Austin says war with China neither imminent or unavoidable.
1. The U.S. military confirmed Monday that debris found near an on-base school the previous day had been carried by balloon from North Korea. The inflatable came down Sunday on Osan Air Base, near Osan Elementary School, according to principal Allyse Struhs’ email to parents and guardians that evening. U.S. Forces Korea spokesman David Kim said in a statement Monday that at least one North Korean balloon was found at Osan, home of 7th Air Force and the 51st Fighter Wing about 30 miles south of Seoul.
2. South Korea announced Monday it’ll suspend a rapprochement deal with North Korea to punish it over its launches of trash-carrying balloons, even after the North said it would halt its balloon campaign. Over several days, North Korea flew hundreds of balloons to drop trash and manure on South Korea in an angry reaction against previous South Korean civilian leafleting campaigns. On Sunday, South Korea said it would take “unbearable” retaliatory steps in response, before North Korea abruptly announced it would stop flying balloons across the border. On Monday, South Korea’s presidential national security council said it has decided to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at easing frontline animosities, until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored, according to the presidential office.
3. Soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division commemorating the impending 80th anniversary of D-Day jumped out of helicopters Sunday and attacked mock targets in a display that showcased the present while paying homage to the past. The air assault drill was held in Carentan, France, where on June 6, 1944, paratroopers from the 101st arrived to liberate the town and provide vital support to the Allies’ beach landings. Carentan annually celebrates the division with a parachute show, and this year, the 101st decided to participate in the D-Day commemorative events by displaying its current capabilities.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding “miscalculations and misunderstandings.” Austin's comments at the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore came the day after he met for more than an hour on the sidelines with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, the first in-person meeting between the top defense officials since contacts between the American and Chinese militaries broke down in 2022 after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, infuriating Beijing.
4. House officials plan to start floor consideration of their Veterans Affairs appropriations measure this week while also moving ahead on their Defense Department funding plans, pushing their Senate colleagues to speed up work on the budget issues. The VA budget bill was passed in a Republicans-only vote in the House Appropriations Committee on May 23. It’s typically one of the first appropriations measures passed annually by the chamber, despite concerns this year from Democrats over social issues added to the funding measure. The Defense Department’s budget plans could be before the full chamber in the next few weeks as well, with House Appropriations Committee leaders anticipating a panel vote on the funding outline Wednesday.
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