Posted on 06/03/2017 3:00:14 PM PDT by Daffynition
When you want to send an international message that can’t be missed, you send an aircraft carrier. When you want to put up a neon sign, you send two. And yesterday, the U.S. Navy did just that, by confirming that the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike groups had joined up off the Korean coast
(Excerpt) Read more at foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com ...
“In the event of war there is very little we could do in the short term to prevent Seoul from being turned to rubble and occupied by NK. Our forces on the DMZ are nothing but a speed bump for the North.”
Doesn’t the South have an Army/Air Force? If so, are they just going to sit on their hands and let the American forces fight it out alone?
“It will be over as fast as it starts. Time to get it over with.”
I think that’s a highly optimistic view. If it actually starts, I hope you’re right though!
Further, I hope nuclear weapons stay off the table...
But what you don’t see are the boomers, poised and ready to glaze North Korea over if they start anything
“Doesn’t the South have an Army/Air Force? If so, are they just going to sit on their hands and let the American forces fight it out alone?”
Yes it does, I think the OP was including the SK forces in what he said. Personally I think our combined forces would be a lot more than a “speed bump”, but it would be a major conflict for sure!
NK has 750,000 available troops, and 4.5 million in reserve... It also has very significant tanks and artillery.
I hope war can be avoided, simply because many thousands of innocents would certainly die. It also could result in WW III depending on exactly how things play out.
As they say, two is one; one is none.
“A 3rd on the way.”
The third might be a relief crew. Those carriers have been out there for a long rotation already.
How many ships in the strike force, including the subs?
No mistaking the message.
I wouldn’t worry until a amphibious assault ship shows up. Definitely when the New Jersey appears. Then it’s on.
The USS Michigan popped it tower out a few weeks ago. Not nuclear capable, but it carriers over 100 cruise missles I believe.
“The USS Michigan popped it tower out a few weeks ago. Not nuclear capable, but it carriers over 100 cruise missles I believe.”
154 Tomahawks, to be exact. :-)
South Korea has 625K front line with 2.9 million active reserve.
1200 combat aircraft, and 45 capital warships (subs, destroyers, small carrier)
I understand that our forces on the DMZ could not stop the NK. But they would not have to. The DMZ would be a very deadly place with munitions dropped heavily on the area making it impassable by truck. And scatter landmines making it impossible by foot. The large movement of men would be walking or driving into a wall of flames.
They would do best to stay in the towns and gather for some lightning strike after the conflict has started for a while. then at their own choosing sprint across.
But they are likely to lose air abilities very soon. All the known artillery will be destroyed in the first few hours. And any artillery that is used after that would also be destroyed.
If the Trump team means business, I am sure there are a hundred people right now identifying targets from satellite pictures. You can assume that palaces would be considered targets. And frankly anywhere Kim might be. North Korea is very small. And it really has few hiding places. We have been watching any construction for decades.
The likely scenario is that the infrastructure would be gone within the first 12 hours. And the roads leading to China would be filled. Air traffic would only be American. And the Chinese would be the only ones who could save NK. Or its possible that they have already decided that they will watch to see what intel they can get from the Americans as they crush NK. Remember NK lost the korean war until China came in. Then we were kicked out.
“I wouldn’t worry until a amphibious assault ship shows up. Definitely when the New Jersey appears. Then it’s on.”
That’s not needed, as we have over 28,000 troops in SK already, along with over 600,000 SK regulars. There are also 2.5 million SK reserves ready to be called up.
I would say amphibious forces are irrelevant to an attack on NK.
>>NK has 750,000 available troops, and 4.5 million in reserve... It also has very significant tanks and artillery.<<
The troops are a problem that can probably be dealt with when playing defense. The practical problem is the artillery. Although no longer “king of the battlefield,” the NOK’s have thousands of pieces that will send salvo after salvo of high explosives into Seoul before we could deal with them effectively. Thousand of civilian casualties and destruction of much of the main city of the South is certain.
Artillery is not sophisticated, but that is an advantage to the NoKs. The coordinates are already zeroed in and every piece can operate independently until eliminated one by one. Air power is the answer, but absent MOABs and complete 100% air-superiority, it will take a while to neutralize the artillery threat. Air-superiority in this case means no ground based threats to A-10’s, Apaches, and F-16’s. It’s easy to forget that we lost quite a few planes and crewmen in the first Iraq war, and that environment was much less dangerous than the one in N.K. or in Syria.
That’s not to say that this situation won’t turn into a hot little engagement, but it will cost our side quite a lot more than some folks think.
All this is just my own opinion.
Loose lips sink ships.
But you already knew that.
New Moon is on June 23rd.
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