Posted on 02/08/2010 11:12:19 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made some provocative remarks at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Wednesday. He said that as the U.S. military is deeply involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will not be able to come to South Korea in a timely manner, and that the Navy and Air Force will fill the vacuum left by a delay in committing ground forces in Korea in case of an emergency.
Under “Operations Plan 5027,” a scenario for a war of aggression against North Korea, Washington is committed to dispatching some 690,000 troops to the peninsula within two months after a war breaks out. However, the defense secretary publicly announced that troops will not be deployed as scheduled. He insisted that for the time being the U.S. will be unable to properly handle any emergency situation in the early stages, even if a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, some of his comments may be considered provocative, given the fact that they may be misleading to North Korea.
The reason why Gates’s remarks received special attention is mainly due to the chaotic situation in the North. Amid an atmosphere in which people have become even more dissatisfied and agitated with the currency reform there, signs of conflict between the army and the Communist Party have also appeared. Some experts say that there may be difficulties with the command and control systems in the seat of power due to Kim Jong-il’s poor health and the succession issue.
Against this backdrop, it seems that the U.S. Army has told the North that they should take advantage of this golden opportunity to invade the South while the U.S. is tied up in the Middle East.
(Excerpt) Read more at joongangdaily.joins.com ...
Where is Washington plan to get 690,000 troops?
I have no idea they plan to get that mant troops. Unless they plan a massive draft.
It looks like we are stuck with this plan beause the ROK are depending on it.
I think to get the 690k troops, they plan to draft the entire house of representatives and staff. That should about do it. Any shortfalls can be made up by including the White House staff in the draft.
Exit strategy Bamster? Can you imagine this moron trying to spin this? It would take a dozen teleprompters to cover all of it.
I think we have a duty to the people of South Korea to protect them. The USA signed a mutual defense treaty with ROK in 1953 and we should honor that treaty.
http://kalaniosullivan.com/KunsanAB/3rdBW/MutualDefenseTreaty.html
I think the US should revise the plan.
I do not think it was a foolish treaty. The treaty(we signed in good faith) has kept the peace for 60 years and tied down North Korea.If we did not have that treaty the Reds would be at Australia’s door. Right now, North Korea is at the brink of collapse. Anyways, South Korea can muster 650,000 troops in a emergency. There are 37,000 US Army troops and there are 57,000 American troops in Japan that can be moved in 24 hours. That is not including the US airpower in Japan and Guam.
I have not discounted nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea. In fact, I expect some sort of limited exchange.
This somewhat reminds me of GHWB letting Iraq believe he wouldn't stop them if they moved on Kuwait. Interesting.
bonk
I agree with your statement. If they decide to use nuclear weapons we must respond with equal force.
Have you ever even been to Korea? I spent two one year tours there (1978-79 and 1982-83) and I can assure you that the Republic of Korea (aka South Korea) spends a massive amount of money on defense compared to just about any country of comperable size. Every able-bodied male is subject to the draft (unlike here) and their Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are first rate. In the late 1940’s, a Democratic Truman administration official announced that the Korean peninsula was outside the American sphere of influence, which tempted the Russians and their clients the DPRK (aka North Korea) to invade the poorly armed ROKs. It sounds like the Democrats are revisiting their mistake from six decades ago. Are you by any chance a Ron Paul disciple?
Well if they spend so much on their defenses then why do they need us to bale them out? And yes I am an adamant isolationist, so don’t try to use it as a slur.
Their outsized conventional troops are easy picking for S. Korea-U.S. airpower. Their advance will create huge traffic jam on major invasion route. They have to navigate thought densely built cities and towns outside Seoul. Roads are usually flanked by tall high-rise apartments or office buildings. It is the death trap. Their conventional forces are under-trained and malnourished. Units requiring regular trainings are getting almost none. The story is that, many conscript soldiers in armor units are held way beyond their discharge date, because they are the only ones competently operating equipments, while new soldiers had little or no opportunity to learn their skills through training due mainly to fuel shortage. N. Korea's state economy is not functioning. That means no spare parts for equipments and not enough food for soldiers.
However, they have numerous artillery pieces which can lob huge number of shells and rockets at the initial stage. They have biochem weapons, and still quite functional large special forces. They can wreak havoc. Taking the entire city of Seoul in hostage.
My personal opinion is that, if there is a 'second Korean War,' it would be a massive hostage crisis.
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