Here’s how to take out North Korea’s nukes

The New York Post, America's oldest continuously circulating newspaper ^ | August 9, 2017 | Ralph Peters

[TBP]

The first step should begin immediately, well in advance and without firing a shot. All military family members, all Department of Defense civilian employees and all nonessential contractors should be evacuated from South Korea. Want to get North Korea’s attention? That single act would serve as a graver warning of our readiness than any amount of sanctions or saber-rattling.

Initially, we’d launch a surprise air and naval campaign, with ground forces deployed only in defense of South Korea. Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile-development facilities and arsenals wouldn’t be in the initial target set. First, we’d have to overwhelm and destroy North Korea’s air defenses, while simultaneously degrading Pyongyang’s military command, control and communications to cripple any response.

Then, rapidly, we’d go for the missile and nuke infrastructure. And here’s where we’d have to show our will to win. Wrecking bunkered sites isn’t enough. Research, development and production facilities can be rebuilt.

We’d need to strike, without warning, the dormitory facilities and housing areas for the scientists, designers, technicians, skilled workers and military cadres involved in North Korea’s nuclear-weapons and missile programs. If we’re unwilling to do that, we’d merely be buying ourselves a minor delay at extravagant cost.

And then we need to be prepared to counter any North Korean conventional blows against South Korea.

[TBP]

Colonel Peters makes sense here, but he's doubtful that we have the will.

[TroutGuy]

This video has the best analysis I’ve seen so far of how a US-North Korea war would play out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WyrYBrOC1o

[mazda77]

“And then we need to be prepared to counter any North Korean conventional blows against South Korea.”

With what? Giant Spaulding catchers mits for the artillery shells coming in like rain in a hurricane? With all due respect, Peters has not been right about anything to crow about for the last few years. I have gotten to the point where I treat his commentary just as credible as Obama.

[z3n]

"Initially, we’d launch a surprise air and naval campaign, with ground forces deployed only in defense of South Korea. Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile-development facilities and arsenals wouldn’t be in the initial target set. "

Someone needs to go back to their xbox and stop writing. You can't let a single warhead excape, or it could potentially be smuggled to terrorists... or even used on Seoul. The first and primary mission objective should be locating and appropriating or destroying ALL of them. You cannot do this from the air. You can't track them with remote sensing unless they have poor shielding and leak signature EMR

[Raycpa]

I thought the smart people from Obama administration say we should just leave them alone seeing they have nuclear weapons and all.

[z3n]

A ground game would be inevitable if any real action were to take place. Warheads can be smuggled anywhere and hidden in small bunkers, or someone’s basement, or under a woodpile next to a hen house. It is ridiculous to sit around and think you can just bomb them with aircraft and cruise missiles like it’s some video game

[TroutGuy]

Seoul can’t be protected, but by all indications (e.g. Lyndsey Graham’s statements after discussing it with Trump) Trump knows he was elected to advance US interests, not South Korean.

I expect Trump to attack with heavy bombers from Guam and US ships in international waters. We don’t need South Korea’s permission to protect our homeland from NK nukes.

[heights]

We don’t need an insane War, just tell China,’Replace you pet Pit Bull with a Poodle or within a month none of your ships filled with merchandise enter America”.

[Kenton]

I wonder how our research into non-nuclear tactical EMP devices is going? That would seem to be a good thing to start with. Presumably all that artillery pointed as Seoul has some electrical components that could be knocked out before they could do any damage.

[DiogenesLamp]

Curtis LeMay strategy. It was sensible back in the 1950s, and it is still sensible today.

[WayneLusvardi]

No aspersions on Col. Peters, unless I have my information wrong, NK has 1970’s missiles that can only be launched without precision as to target. Moreover, they can’t carry a nuke yet. So how could they hit Guam? Let’s just cooperate with South Korea’s plan to deal with NK. If I am wrong on this, please correct.

[xzins]

Peter’s idea won’t work at the speed needed to prevent the Norks from responding.

Any first strike should include nuclear and should target all biological, chemical, and nuclear sites.

That’s the only to possibly prevent a nuclear biological response

[masadaman]

Good response. I was thinking of a sky writer over NK with message in Korean “Shape up or Trump will blacken the sun in 2 weeks.”

[dainbramaged]

This Peters clown hates President Trump and endorsed the Hildebeast. Eff him.

[mazda77]

There exists weapons in our arsenal that is very rarely spoken about, if ever. Total defense of Seoul, not going to happen but unconstrained artillery will not happen as predicted either. All that is required is for the CIC to have the will to use them but in doing so, the world will awaken to a new terrible reality as they did after the first reports from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

[TroutGuy]

“Let’s just cooperate with South Korea’s plan to deal with NK.”

Appeasement? Burying our head in the sand? We’ve tried that plan for the last 20 years.

The hard truth is that US and South Korean interests now diverge with North Korea. South Korea doesn’t really care if NK has ICBMs that can reach the US, but we sure as hell do.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That video completely ignores the entry of China into the theater.

[Thud]

Ralph Peters has a clue about military operations but, like most military types, none about preparing American public opinion for war. Battlespace preparation for them is confined to the battle area, and has nothing to do with public support for war.

Then French Premier Clemanceau said around 1917-1918 that "War is too important to be left to generals".

[Thud]

The major military impediments to the South Korean Army marching to the Yalu are that the roads in North Korea would be clogged by civilian refugees trying to get the hell out of North Korea, and ROKA logistics capabilities in the many mountains where all the bridges would be down.

[Garth Tater]

all nonessential contractors should be evacuated from South Korea. Want to get North Korea’s attention? That single act would serve as a graver warning of our readiness than any amount of sanctions or saber-rattling.

And South Korea, after being abandoned by us, would never trust us again. Nor would any other ally.

Seriously, just pack up and leave right before starting a war that is going to get millions of South Koreans killed? And this guy was a general?

And then we need to be prepared to counter any North Korean conventional blows against South Korea.

Might be a good idea to be prepared to counter a North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan - or do you think the North Koreans are not capable of developing a second strike capability? It's a big country and they've had decades to dig deep holes. Are you sure you got every single nuke? Going to bet the lives of every man, woman and child in Tokyo on that?

I also didn't see anything in General Peter's plan about countering biological weapons. You know - the poor man's nukes. Much easier to make and to deliver than nuclear weapons and just as effective at killing people. War mongers like General Peters are so eager to get the killing started they sometimes forget to look at things from the other side of the fence... hmmmm.... $2 billion for a couple of ICBMs with nuclear warheads or $20 million for enough weaponized anthrax to take out Los Angeles... and for another couple of mill the same lab could crankout some smallpox viri to hold back to use on any invading US troops. But hey,,let's just go with General Peter's plan and hope North Korea is stupid enough to play the part of his patsy for him.