North Korea Ground Invasion Only Way To Halt Kim Jong-Un's Nuclear Program
A nuclear weapon was first deployed in order to prevent a devastating ground invasion. Now, however, it appears that only a devastating ground invasion will prevent a nuclear weapon from being deployed after a top Pentagon official says that it is the only way to destroy the North Korean nuclear program.
Rear Adm Michael J. Dumont of the joint staff offered his blunt assessment of US options after two congressional Democrats asked about casualty assessments. Rep. Ted Lieu and Rep. Ruben Gallego, both military veterans sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis requesting a detailed report on the potential consequences of a war with North Korea.
"The only way to 'locate and destroy, with complete certainty, all components of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs' is through a ground invasion," Dumont's written response read. This is the first time the U.S. military has made this assertion said Rep. Lieu who is concerned many are confident that the United States can neutralize North Korea's nuclear program with a precise strike similar to what President Trump ordered against the Assad regime in Syria back in April.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
According to Lieu, one of the problems the military has with the hermit kingdom is that there is far too little intelligence on their regime. This makes it difficult to determine where their missiles and nuclear assets are located rendering precision attacks utterly useless.
Dumon's letter also said estimating casualties "for any conventional or nuclear attack is challenging" and didn't offer any specific numbers in that regard. However, he did say that the North Korean regime might resort to using biological weapons as an option in the event of a conflict, something that could prove devastating against densely populated South Korea and possibly Japan.
A report from 38 North, a website dedicated to analyzing North Korea, estimated as many as 2.1 million could die if the "unthinkable" happened and nuclear detonations occurred over Seoul and Tokyo. A separate report issued by the Congressional Research Service late last month estimated as many as 300,000 could die in the first few days of a conflict between North Korea and the U.S. even without the use of nuclear weapons, the majority of which will be civilians.
There is also the possibility of a Russian or Chinese response against such an attack as both countries are staunch allies of North Korea. Any attack against North Korea could plunge the world into another global conflict ushering untold devastation not just in the region.
North Korea and the United States have been bitter enemies since the waning days of the Korean War with North Korean propaganda prominently featuring anti-US content. However, the situation has escalated dramatically in recent months following incessant missile tests by the rogue regime as well as President Trump's fiery responses.
Trump is currently undergoing a tour of Asia where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam. There is no doubt that the North Korean issue will be among the topics that will be discussed between them.
