The next Korean War-How a renegade police state could defeat the U.S.

World Net Daily ^ | Wednesday, October 21, 1998 (FR Post 3-18-03) | By Joseph Farah

[vannrox]

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
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Wednesday, October 21, 1998

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The next Korean War
How a renegade police state could defeat the U.S.

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By Joseph Farah

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© 1998 WorldNetDaily.com

A story by three officers in Airpower Journal, the professional quarterly of the U.S. Air Force portrays a turn-of-the-century scenario by which the rogue government of North Korea could cripple the United States through a combination of cyber-warfare and biological attack.

There is rising concern within U.S. intelligence circles about the ability of North Korea and other renegade states to penetrate American information networks and launch a cyber-attack against military and civilian data systems.

The article, originally entitled "A Failure of Vision," is reprinted in the October issue of Dispatches magazine, the national investigative monthly of the Western Journalism Center, the parent company of WorldNetDaily. It is written by U.S. Air Force Capts. Fred Kennedy, Rory Welch and Byron Fessler.

The article outlines, in fictional form, a successful North Korean campaign in the year 2013 to inflict strategic paralysis on the United States through a combination of cyber and biological attacks.

The official Air Force response to the article has been muted. The editors of Airpower Journal promoted the sensational study only in passing and with a curious observation, saying the "article raises some serious questions about domestic terrorism." The article did not deal with "domestic terrorism," but rather with an organized attack by a foreign government.

Off the record, other intelligence officers hailed the article as an important breakthrough if such future attacks are to be prevented.

"I believe Captains Kennedy, Fessler and Welch have provided a very timely analysis of potential North Korean capabilities in this area," said one Air Force intelligence officer. "While North Korea's information warfare efforts are still in their infancy, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea clearly understands our reliance on information systems, and Pyongyang is intent on exploiting this dependence."

Since the article was published this summer, there have been news reports of efforts by North Korea to expand its cyber-warfare program and an official effort to counterfeit U.S. currency. Recently, North Korea has begun experimenting with satellite launches, resulting in a missile launch that nearly reached the coast of Alaska. The fictional article in Airpower Journal specifically addresses a North Korean space program as an integral part of the campaign against the United States.

"As outlined in the article (in Airpower Journal), a combined cyber and biological strike would, indeed, inflict strategic paralysis on the United States, and, in my opinion, leave us unable to deal with a major international crisis," an intelligence officer told WorldNetDaily.

He added: "Imagine this scenario: With war in Korea looming, key U.S. computer networks suddenly crash. Banking and finance transactions grind to a halt. Much of the nation plunges into darkness when the power grid collapses. Information systems, including cable TV and the Internet are no longer available. Meanwhile, there's a massive anthrax outbreak in the Northeast corridor, from New York to the nation's capital. Millions become ill, and thousands die, including the president, vice president and much of the Cabinet. Amid national panic, the 'new' president, formerly the Education secretary, suddenly learns that North Korean tanks are rolling toward Seoul, and a Chinese attack against Taiwan is underway. How do we respond? Could we recover from such an attack? Sound far-fetched? Believe me, it can -- and may -- happen. Just read the article."

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Joseph Farah is editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily.com.

[vannrox]

An oldie. Interesting.

[BenLurkin]

The same subject is adddressed in this intersting book:

The Next War by Caspar Weinberger, et al

[GaltMeister]

"Imagine this scenario: With war in Korea looming, key U.S. computer networks suddenly crash. Banking and finance transactions grind to a halt. Much of the nation plunges into darkness when the power grid collapses. Information systems, including cable TV and the Internet are no longer available."

Sounds like something Gary North wrote. Break out yer Y2K tinfoil.

[timestax]

US Submarines would be sending enough nuclear warheads into North Korea to form a hole that 1000 Mt. Everests would fit into!!!

[dandavis]

Actually a scenario like this is quite plausible. North Korea, having been trained by a decade and a half of American appeasement and the entire history of the UN is pushing at the boundary of war right now. With a lunatic in power, an arsenal that includes nukes, 4 generations of controlling minds and limited natural resources, this is one dangerous puppy.

What we know is that they already have ballistic capabilities to reach the west coast. We also know that western Europe is worthless to us in dealing with this problem. Once again, to the containment crowd, you're all wrong again. It is a ridiculous exercise in sham diplomacy to think that you can let some thug go and on, consolidating power, murdering opposition and creating an atmosphere of terror and respond by refusing to sell him StaFree Maxi pads and Wisconsin cheese. Thank God for the Bush Doctrine. One push of the button and North Korea gets de-militarized in a hurry.

[Timesink]

Amusing, but as tinfoily and silly as it was the first time.

[rogers21774]

Time to dust off that briefcase with the nuclear codes eh? I hope someone still remembers the combination.

[germanicus]

US Submarines would be sending enough nuclear warheads into North Korea to form a hole that 1000 Mt. Everests would fit into!!!

No kidding. I think an attempt to exploit any of our weaknesses will meet with only limited success as we in turn squash them into oblivion.

[Restorer]

"Defeat the US" would presumably refer to invasion and conquest. If the entire US military were to mysteriously disappear tonight, NK couldn't pull this off. If only because they have no way to get here.

If such an attack were launched and proven to be from a given country, that country would cease to exist in less than an hour.

[epow]

What we know is that they already have ballistic capabilities to reach the west coast

When did that happen? I admit I don't stay on top of the news these days, but the last I heard NK had a few missles that could possibly reach Japan or Taiwan at their extreme range. I'm not arguing, I just didn't know NK technology had advanced that far.

[bonesmccoy]

That range is hypothetical and based upon expansion of the launch capability of the short-range ballistic missiles tested over Hokkaido. When the Japanese figured out that NorKor shot a missile over their nation, they were not pleased.

[dandavis]

Absolutely, it is hypothetical. Range is 3500-6000 km, estimated. Has something to do with stage boosters being added or upgraded.

[Georg_von_Frundsberg]

Got that right. What people forget is that Kim Jong-Il can't do anything without somesort of tacit approval by China. The Chinese economy is becoming more intertwined with both the US and the world economy as time goes on.

Kim's bad for business.

Eventually they'll sit on him themselves.

[RaceBannon]

Dont you dare insult the team of Yaztremski! Humpf!!

#8 LIVES FOREVER!!

[JasonC]

Its horsefeathers. They've run "digital Pearl Harbor" wargames at the Navy War College, and no one is able to inflict any lasting, serious damage with cyber attacks. Annoyance, certainly. Defeat, ridiculous.

[farmguy]

What we know is that they already have ballistic capabilities to reach the west coast

The question is, do they have the capability to reach our troups in the middle east?

[Braak]

I read a Parameters article abt the Army research about that too...much in the way of the same conclusions. W/O physical destruction of the material componants of the computer networks, plus the decentralized nature of the net, I would find it difficult for ANYBODY to simply "take us down,and keep us there".

[DAnconia55]

Ridiculous.

The idea that the North Koreans (Or even the Chinese) have the capacity to shut down our networks is laughable.

A more likely scenario is one of our 13 yr olds shuts down North Korea, and converts any connected systems into Warez servers...