Reuters
Daniel L. Davis, National Interest: Is the U.S. Military Ready for a War with North Korea?
Can the United States win a conflict with North Korea no matter what? Yes. Does it mean it would be costless? Absolutely not.
Earlier this month, Senator Lindsey Graham said that if the United States goes to war against North Korea, it would be, “an all-out war against the regime; there is no surgical strike option.” It would be bloody, he conceded, “but don’t ever lose sight of how this war ends… we win it.” Yet is that a safe assumption? Seventeen years of laser-focus on counterinsurgency (COIN) fights and small-scale special operations have left the United States dangerously unprepared for major conventional combat.
If the cost in terms of blood, treasure and international consequences were irrelevant, then it is a certainty that if the United States chose to, it could wipe out North Korea. The price of a war, however, is far from irrelevant. If Washington chose to launch a preventive war to remove North Korea’s nuclear capability and it turned into an all-out regime-changing battle, it is far from certain the United States could win the war at a price the nation could afford.
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WNU Editor: In such a conflict the U.S. will not be the only player. The South Koreans will carry much of the burden in such a conflict, and the Japanese will assist the U.S.. But the big worry should not only be focused on North Korea .... if a war does break out on the Korean peninsula, aside from the conflict itself, I would also be worried about this .... Forget North Korea: A War Between China and America Would Be a World War (Robert Farley, National Interest).
Earlier this month, Senator Lindsey Graham said that if the United States goes to war against North Korea, it would be, “an all-out war against the regime; there is no surgical strike option.” It would be bloody, he conceded, “but don’t ever lose sight of how this war ends… we win it.”
ReplyDelete"We win it." dreamer. There will be no winners.
Is a country ever ready?
ReplyDeleteBritain wanted to delay war in 1930 so they could build up. they told themselves they were not ready.
In 1939 Britain and built up some, but so had Germany. So they still were not ready.
Germany was not ready. The German command figured they would be ready in the late 1940s.
Point is neither side was ready. Nobody was ready.
"As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time" - Rumsfeld
Riumsfeld was correct.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld
There may be no winners. True enough.
ReplyDeleteBut not standing up to a bully or aggressor power sure enough makes you a loser.
What would have happened if Germany had got a nuke in 1944.
No D-Day?
Oh thank the Lord and Jesus no nuclear war and we will not all be losers.
There would have still been losers on the continent in a stalemate.
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This problem has been building up for a long time, way before Jan 20, 2017. You might consider it an Obama legacy.
Another Obama legacy is his Iran deal. If that goes, then what legacy will that ____ have?
If Iran falls and it comes out they were cheating, then what legacy will the ____ have?
Aizino your points about readiness are well taken and I agree (I'll ignore the points about legacy as there are too many variables and unknowns in the Iran deal to make judgement yet)
ReplyDeleteTo the topic at hand: North Korea
There are 3 players here: North Korea, China and the US
China's goal is to increase the speed and success of North Korea to acquire a credible nuclear deterrent to ensure its survival as a buffer state..that's why they sell them military equipment. That's why they protected the north Koreans against sanctions the longest time and that's why they are suspected to have violated sanctions until just last week with oil transfers to north Korea. This is reckless behaviour and can be formulated in the following:
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"China rejects western influence to such a degree and conviction that it risks and to some extend even promotes the nuclear annihilation of (some of) its cultural and economic opponents."
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Let that sink in for a moment.
Have you completely understood this?
Everything points to that China is already at (cold) war with us. We just don't realise that we're at war with them.
Declaring China a competitor is while perhaps only symbolic in nature,rather than bringing material change, an important first step. On top,we the "west" and our like minded eastern partners (India, Japan, south Korea, Australia, NZ etc) need to realise tha we face multiple crisis sources at the moment that may develop into something bigger. To prevent this and to prevent China, Iran or even Russia from exploiting individual or all sources of conflict, cohesion and reliance between nations that share values of inclusion, freedom of speech, tolerance and equality must oppose what china stands for: china citizens as separate citizens protected from international law,free to bully and single out any nation or individual on the planet, free to cause nuclear issues in Asia and beyond.
It needs to stop.
Is north korea ready for the storm heading its way?
ReplyDelete"China rejects western influence ..."
ReplyDeleteDefine western influence.
Which part of the west? Which group or groups?
Last time I checked there was not spits worth of difference between Chinese and Americans.
Chinese worry about their kids getting good education and thus careers. They are interested in that their children would have good spouses. They are interested in making a living. They have TVs, cars, cameras and computers. They go shopping in stores and markets.
(Which when you think about is pretty white of them. The latest from thinkers *scratch that * Stinkers* on the Left is that shopping at farmers markets is white. So all those Chinese shopping for fresh produce at a market outside of a store ...well that is mighty white of them.)
The only thing that is really different about them is their borders, language and culture.
Culture
And the culture is not that different when you think about it. They have Harvest festivals like everyone else. They celebrate New Years like everyone else. The parameters and the history up to this point has been just a little different.
Borders
China had a buffer state in 1895 versus Japan and the world. It really did not help. Their navy was not up to the task due to corruption in the government.
The U.S.is not going to look at a Korea as a springboard to get into China. The U.S. politicians do not think that way. China should get over it.
Obama, Clinton, Jerry Brown, di Blasio, Cuomo plotting to take over China? Yeah right. NOT!
How to read Smith's comments:
ReplyDeleteskim quickly and very soon you will see the name Obama. Then you will know this badmouthing is what he had in mind and whatever the topic, Obama is to blame...Nuke treaty? It is no good.That is why Trump said he was going to dump it. Has he? not yet but....someday he might