Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bookemdanno]

It's always nice to hear an American commander tell it like it is. But then with a given name like Burwell I would expect him to do no less.

YTN TV News ran a portion of his press conference. It was amusing to see the adam's apples bobbing up and down among some of the Korean government handlers in attendance.

Here is what the illustrious Korean Herald had to report:

[agentX]

As long as Taiwan is in play, so is South Korea and potentially Japan. So we'll be here for the foreseeable future.

That doesn't mean US forces should redeploy to where they're needed most.
The Taliban have far too much control over Afghanistan than they should, and those choppers might make a difference.

The battlefield is over there, not over here. The ROK forces can defend and even invade North Korea if it needed. Getting China to sign off on an invasion is a little less likely. LMB would have to promise to not have US forces appear north of the DMZ before they agree not to defend the North.

South Korea is heading for a recession, so I doubt moving up the cost to 50% is something the US should force onto them. 45% is a more reasonable number. On our end, cutting back on wasteful spending (like Iraq) would more than cover the remaining 5% of the difference.

The USFK commander seems confident that having F-22s on Guam gives them the advantage. Those jets being on Guam takes any advantage of a pre-emptive strike by the North or China on the AFBs out of the strategic picture.

[On the other hand]

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

On the other hand"


Korea doesn't hold much strategic value to the US. and it doesn't help the US contain China.However the US believes that if the US leaves there will be an arms race in North East Asia and that Japan and South Korea will build nuclear weapons. In addition to this the US doesn't want to be seen as giving in to North Korea . If the US withdraws forces it will seem as if North Korea out lasted the US.But the biggest reason that US forces are in Korea is interia. US policy doesn't just change overnight. There is not much reason for the US to keep US forces in Germany but they are still deployed there.



At present the US doesn't have anyway to save Seoul if there is a war with North Korea. All the US can do is bomb North Korea in retaliation.

There is a potential weapons system that could change this.

[Gopher]

American forces garrisoned in South Korea provide a forward presence, including airfields, and beachheads that we could reinforce in most imaginable contingencies -- coming, say, for the purposes of anything-goes-style planning, from Russian, North Korean, or Chinese quarters -- that might threaten long-term American interests and therefore overall American security in East Asia.

So this presence does apparently hold strategic value to at least some policymakers and military planners, especially given South Korea's economic growth over the last few decades.

Remember the Second World War and America's exclusion from all of Eurasia until late in the game, until it had raised a massive army and fought hard battles to establish beachheads in North Africa, France, and its having to take Pacific islands one island at a time just to get within striking range of Japan? I assure you the Pentagon's planning division does.

I, for one, would support redeploying all forces in East Asia so that we maintain strong naval and long-range air bases in Alaska, the Aleutians, Guam, Hawaii, and San Diego. Encourage Japan to rearm. And do all we can to strengthen relations with China for the long-term future -- we grow more interlinked each day already. Finally, let Japan, China, and South Korea deal with North Korea as they wish. And as for Taiwan and Tibet: they remain China's business.

Problem solved. But I do not believe this commander is discussing "redeployment" in this context, Danno.

[Adventurer]

Frankly, I would like to see if North Korea can be turned from the dark side and become an ally of the U.S. I know that sounds inconceivable, but I say that North Korea needs to be worked with. They are horrible in many aspects, though, and it shouldn't be done without any conditions. I don't believe the troops should pull out of Korea, though in some ways I would like them to leave, because the Korean people don't seem to appreciate their presence. The US did not come to Korea, because they cared about the people of Korea. They came to fight the threat of communism and to help Japan. I am not sure if Korea is in a position to be building nuclear weapons. They definitely need to be paying their fair share of the costs.

[nicholas_chiasson]

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

[Kuros]

[Beej]

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

Well not exactly. the system envisioned has no fall out and no radiation , but it does have the power of nuclear bomb.

Anyway a few strikes really would rip up North Korean artillery no matter how dug in it was.

If it all sounds so horrible just remember with such a system the US could save Seoul. That doesn't sound too horrible.

[Nowhere Man]

IS this technology completely out of reach from the Chinese for the foreseeable future?

Or do you not mind some Rods from Mao floating about in space as well?

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

The US and China both already have nuclear weapons. It would not make much difference in that strategic balance between the two nations , not any more than China deploying more SLBMs anyway which China is now currently doing at any rate. US strategic weapons are far too diverse and numerous to be threatened by such a system. China and Russia are way. way behind the US on weapons that could be deployed in space anyway.Furthermore , what is to make you think that Russia and China would not deploy such a system once to the technology if and when the technology and capability becomes available to them? Since when has either one of those nations shown any restraint in developing and bringing on line a new weapons system?

Ah, Russia and China the two nations that arm and protect North Korea and Iran.

[Paddycakes]

If the Norks invade, they'll stream across the border like a million ants.

US strategic commanders who speak with such 'certainty' on their ability to stop the Norks using high tech weapons... well, you'd think they'd know that battlefields, war and 'certainty' are rarely concepts that go hand in hand, especially when you're fighting a numerically very large enemy.

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

What is scary about North Korea is their artillery - not their ability to invade.