Navy moves ship off coast of Korean Peninsula, White House looks to 'reassure' allies

Fox News ^ | April 01, 2013 | Fox News

[Ron C.]

The U.S. military has moved a Navy ship capable of intercepting missiles to waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, as threats from North Korea's Kim Jong Un escalate and the White House signals it wants to head off any potential conflict by flexing America's military might.

A U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News that the Navy had moved the U.S. destroyer to a location near South Korea. The ship, the USS Fitzgerald, is equipped with the Aegis defense system and is capable of shooting down missiles.

The defense official said the decision is not part of the ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea but part of the Navy's general movements. The Navy had the same type of ship in this location as recently as December.

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[Wiggins]

This could be China's game plan. They will use North Korea as proxy and if you look at it from their position now would be the time to make a military move with four more years of Obama in the White House and total incompetence in his administration. Add to that a lack of will of Americans to fight on top of a bankrupt US economy. If this comes off well in China's favor look for them to move on Taiwan. This is why our debt is a threat to our national security.

[BwanaNdege]

I think China realizes that war would kill their trade with the US, leaving several hundred million workers with no one to sell to.

China & Chinese workers LIKE having US dollars or at least US IOUs to spend.

This is not to say that there are not many Chinese generals & admirals who would love to see a (how do you say, “Blitzkrieg” in Mandarin?) war?

[ponygirl]

The USS Edmund Fitzgerald? That could be a bad omen.

[ponygirl]

What does China need to go to war for? All they need to do is tell the Brown Clown they’re taking those islands and he’d be fine with it.

[detective]

This is a well organized effort and the U.S. is going to look very stupid. Efforts in the Middle East by the Muslim Brotherhood. Iran threats against Israel. Gaza threatens Israel. Iran threatens to close of the Gulf of Hormuz, North Korea and China extend their influence throughout the Pacific and intimidate Japan and other countries.

I spoke to someone from Australia. He said all the Pacific countries have been talked to by China in the last few years. They have been told to either work with China against the U.S. or there will be severe consequences in the future.

I have spoken to people from the Middle East and Northern Africa. They have been told to oppose Christians and the U.S. Persecution of Christians and anti-American sentiment is at an all time high.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

If there is a war—China will not be directly involved—It will be short and be resolved in the UN—Obama will get a new Peace Prize—Hillary will be at the Peace Table—everyone will forget Benghazi and the junk will still be coming in from China! They win! Think more like the 6 day war than WW II.

[madison10]

An observation: IMO the N. Koreans are about to nuke their own people to assist in making what food there is go further and last longer. They will use the rest of the planet and the “war” of their own making to do this.

Will not be the first time the leadership of a nation has lied to its people.

[Wiggins]

That’s actually my perception of what will happen. China wants and needs oil. There are many oil rich islands such as the Spratly islands. Control over these islands has been contested for decades and now China may be ready to make a move. We are the only ones standing in the way.

[Boogieman]

If NK pulls off a surprise attack, the South is fairly screwed even if we shot down every single missile aimed at them. We can’t shoot down artillery shells, and the Kims have enough artillery stashed under mountain bunkers within range of Seoul to pretty much level the place. Ships can’t do much when the enemy is dug in like a 20 minute drive from your capital.

[Revolting cat!]

(how do you say, “Blitzkrieg” in Mandarin?)

閃電戰

Jeez, everybody knows it!

[GeronL]

I think a lot of NK capability is overrated. In my scenario they may even invade as far as the Han River but that will be tough for them to hold in the longer run.

[SkyPilot]

The Pentagon Comptroller, Robert Hale, and General Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, announced last week that because Sequestration ordered a slashing of $41 Billion from the Pentagon budget in the middle of the fiscal year (with military pay and most procurement dollars off limits), the US Army had only 20% of its Operations and Maintenance dollars left for all of Fiscal Year 2013 left.

The Pentagon cannot even make payroll. Over 750,000 civilians, who are maintainers, nurses, trainers, and every other function will be furloughed for no less than 14 days this year, resulting in a 15% loss in pay.

'Fiddling While the Pentagon Burns'

But as yesterday’s press conference with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey made clear, it’s essentially a Band-Aid for what amounts to a bleeding artery. The Pentagon must still cut $41 billion this year from its budget; it remains over $20 billion short on readiness and operational funds; it is facing a shortfall of some $7 billion in monies needed for the drawdown in Afghanistan; and it has already used up 80% of its operating funds for the year with six months still to go. In his usual, can-do way, General Dempsey said the military can still make all this work as long as the military could shed excess equipment, dump excess facilities, get acquisition reforms in place, reduce redundancy, and overhaul the military’s compensation structure. Well, good luck on all those fronts. More likely, as we say, when pigs fly. In the meantime, training is being radically reduced, maintenance across the services is being postponed, exercises are being cancelled, and the prospect of even deeper cuts to force structure and modernization plans await if the Budget Control Act’s sequester requirements are not rolled back by this fall.

This madness has to stop.

The Republicans should never, ever have agreed to rape Defense so that it had to "pay" 50% of the Sequestration cuts, while Entitlements (the biggest driver of debt and deficit) are exempt. This is an obscenity.

We are emboldening our enemies throughout the world with this budget fiasco. Our politicians of both parties REFUSE to acknowledge that Federal spending on health care costs (Medicare, Medicaid, ObamaCare) and other Entitlements are on the verge of consuming almost all spending in this country.

We have STOP THIS MADNESS NOW.

Our military has been sacrificed on the political altar for too long. It has been slashed by $487 Billion beginning in 2011, and then another $650 Billion by Sequestration.

Enough!

[BwanaNdege]

"xiè xie" 谢谢

[Ron C.]

Our commie loving Pres and majority of Senate have effectively made this country unable to defend itself - and betrayed the American people.