U.S.-U.N. Command: North Korea violated Korean War armistice

USA Today / AP ^ | 12/27/2002 | AP Staff

[bonesmccoy]

Sadly, I think you are correct.

Our biological and chemical defenses in the US are horribly underprepared.

We're all a bunch of sitting canaries. The coal mine is not well supplied because the levels of gov't are too busy shoveling cash to favorite parts of the economy.

Rereading the original posting made me consider one thing.

If we go against Iraq and confiscate the ME oil supply in Iraq, it won't matter to NorKor (unless they are trading missiles for oil).

Given how screwed up the NorKor economy is, ya' think that the NorKor's might be trading nuclear weapons for oil?

DUH

Why is it that NorKor is turning on the nuclear reactors while we ready for war in the ME?

Gee... could it be that NorKor is acting proxy for Iraq/Iran in return for future oil supplies from the ME?

But, what could the ME nations want from NorKor???

DUH... NUKES????

Sounds like school yard bartering but on a global scale.

[hinckley buzzard]

"Comments?"

You should e-mail these insights to the White House immediately. I'm sure that the thought has never occurred to either GW or Rummy that if the North Koreans kill American troops the democraps and the media, not to mention "right-thinking people," will blame Bush for it instead of Kim.

[hinckley buzzard]

"NK has been planning and refining its options for decades."

No doubt. But do you think the South Korean military as been playing tiddly-winks for those same decades?
The NK are not supermen. There may be a million of them or two, but they are NOT well-supplied with modern weapons, supplies, fuel, etc, and the DMZ is hardly an unguarded border.

People appear to have an elevated opinion of these guys due to the first Korean War, but the fact is that the North Koreans got their butts kicked all they way to the Yalu River, and it was the Chinese hordes who turned the tide of a quick UN victory into a bloody stalemate.

The nuclear wild card exists, of course, but the ROK military knows more about it than any of us do. Somehow I don't think they have been asleep at the switch.

Despite the anti-American frolicking of their college joes, I think the SK's will be up to the task. If the performance of the ROK Marines in Vietnam was any indication, the North can expect no mercy at their hands.

[ROKGRUNT]

Don't get your panties in a bunch ladies.The mighty 2nd Inf Div. is holding the line,just like we always have.Just because it looks like its going to get hot lets not piss ourselves and run leaving the only true ally we have (R.O.Korea) holding the bag.
Bco.1/38 Inf 81-82
Bco.1/23 Inf 83-84

[Alas Babylon!]

I agree with you. Some people here seem to think our military in Korea are a bunch of pussies who will just allow the North to surround them, anniliate them, or push over them. Ain't gonna happen. 39,000 Americans versus a million North Koreans? Hardly. Don't forget the almost million South Korean military plus the 39,000 USA troops. And an attacker, especially using old WWII type mass attack tactics needs a 4:1 ration in forces. The defenders have interior lines of resupply and communications. The attackers must move thru, not wait and ambush. Don't be surprised if the defenders put up a very good and stiff resistance while WE punish the mass of forces waiting behind the point of embarkation.

The whole plan of the North is the old Soviet plan of invasion of Europe our Army trained for for over 40 years Germany. Our response had that happened was to hit the resupply and mass of troops behind the spearheads. I would not want to be a North Korean grunt waiting to jump off when all hell falls on them from the sky. Remember what we did to the Iraqis fleeing Kuwait on the road to Baghdad. It would be a turkey shoot. The North still has to get thier armies into the South. It's not like the whole million-man army steps left foot first across the DMZ all at once. They have areas they'll concentrate at, and it is there they'll die.

[Darksheare]

The NorCommies REALLY want our attention, don't they?
I guess they don't want to be left out when we get it on with Iraq.

[Steel Wolf]

Anyone who served in Korea and knew the score knows that the situation isn't as rosy as some like to think. There's no way that the North Koreans could actually win, but the actual fighting would cause tens of thousands of casualties. Neither we nor the ROK army are pushovers, but the effect of 10,000 hardened artillery sites firing several times a minute for hours or days on end would knock any miliary on its rear at first. Given the attention that the American troops and barracks would recieve (not like the North doesn't know where all of our stuff is), we would be looking at devastaing casualties.

Sure, we'd come back and stomp them like cockroaches. But their sucker punch is a daisy, and America needs to be ready to look at 20,000 casualties and not be suprised.

[Alas Babylon!]

Well, as far as artillery goes, fixed gun positions are sitting ducks. This isn't WWII anymore. 10,000 guns means 10,000 guns destroyed. Counter-battery fire, computerized to triangulate the point of fire, and anti-artillery rockets will decimate them. Also, we will control the skies. Not only the US and ROK, but expect Japanese air forces (who use our stuff, with our training) to go to the limit to deep strike KPA artillery and troop masses. Ships can also fire computerized counter-battery fire against land guns as well.

As I said, you can't think WWII here. So much has changed due to electronics and computerization. Almost of all of the KPA guns are WWII style.

Although it might be a good idea to unmothball the Iowa, New Jersey and Missouri battleships and send them to the waters around the Korean pennisula. Goood counter-battery systems here. All it takes is a little radar and a fast processor. The 16 inch guns can do the rest.

[Alas Babylon!]

Also, JSTARS and other special platforms will be able to pinpoint gun positions from the barrel mouths. JDAMS and mavericks can then be launched into them. Result: dead gun. I wouldn't want to be a commie artillery man after a few of these. The Japanese have lots of these weapons, so we don't have to split what we got going to Iraq.

[Steel Wolf]

Taking note of our high tech weaponry, the North Koreans have tunneled out much of their side of the DMZ, and put their gun systems behind low tech rocks. Their ballistic missile sites, SAMs, and artillery are either totally hardened, or only move out from cover to fire, then immediately retreat underground.

This isn't WWII, but it won't be the Gulf War either. They know our tricks, and we're going to have dig out a good number of those guns the old fashioned way. Certainly we can win, but it won't be as simple as picking up incoming fire on the Q36 counterbattery fire ballistic computer, and putting 155mm on the firer.

Don't underestimate the NK fear of our air power, or their application of lessons learned from the mistakes of others. Their bunkers are designed to resist precision munition strikes against weak entry points.

Also, we require a secure rear area to conduct a lot of our operations, which NK will sow with infiltrators, sabotuers, and SOF. The use of persistant chemical agents deep in theatre and non-persistant on frontline troops and weapons to create openings are also to be expected by doctrine.

[ffusco]

reactor surgical strike by the Isrealis -ooops!

[SunStar]

We should pull out now...We will have blood on our hands if we are the ones that nuke or have to fight this battle..My God let them fight it out...Its not our dime...we have NOTHING to gain in this war...Im sounding like one of those crazy libs but does anyone disagree?

Yes. We have been guarding the Korean border since the 1950's. The Korean War was stalemated, and it is our responsibility to see it through if the stalemate changes, just like it is our responsibility to finish the Gulf War once and for all. It is my hope that Colin Powell can work some of his diplomatic magic into the North Korea situation, thereby calming it down.

[meema]

While we are fighting Iraq {to re-arrange the ME for Sharon}and NK, the next little problem to come up could be Red China, deciding that this might be a great time to take Taiwan!
Wonder how fast we can draft and train a few hundred thousand conscripts??
Apparently we need to reinstitute the draft Right Now.
This is scarey.

[TheBattman]

UN upset...yeah, right. The only things that upset the UN ar:

1. The US witholding any dues.
2. The US taking any action of any sort without consulting and getting the approval of the UN.

The UN is going to let this slide......