The USS George Washington is heading to Gulf within 96 Hours.

Fox News | 12/27/02

[Sparta]

The USS George Washington has been put on the alert and told to prepare to deploy within 96 hours to the Persian Gulf. Developing....

[pgkdan]

. Plus they needed a crew change.

No crew change. I've got buddies who expect to get called back next week. It's been all over the news out here that the crew was told to stay in town for the next 30 days and to be ready to leave.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I would not be suprised if President Bush takes action against Iraq before the UN inspectors report, due by January 27, is released.

After having decided to go the UN inspections route, this would be ill advised. IMO, GW will wait for the report (expected 27 Jan). He will then announce that Iraq is in material breach (with some disclosure of evidence) prior to attacking on 30 Jan (new moon).

[Mr. Lucky]

What you describe wasn't the fault of the ship, its arms, or even the powder, but the hideously poor state of training which the crews had when the battle wagons were re-introduced. Unfortunately, Navy brass wouldn't like them any more were they put back into the service of America one more time.

(By the time of the Gulf War, however, the bugs had been worked out of both ships and crews and these dreadnaughts were used to awesome effect)

[Quix]

And Beijing and Moscow et al pondering the same thoughts and the resulting king of the hill position of USA even more than now would think . . .

NO WAY HOSE.

Their pride AND their fears would not allow it--virtually at all costs.

[ken5050]

Back in the late 80's I believe, the Navy was testing a rocket boosted 16" shell for the battleships.it had a range of 75-100 miles....would be able to reach something like 80% of the world's major cities......

[Quix]

My assumption is that somehow, SKorea and US could deal with the foot soldiers if the rest of the junk were taken care of.

I don't know that the SK's want to entice China into anything at all. I suspect a lot of them would just as soon even leave NK to themselves. Others with family there would love reunification under democracy.

When I was there in August, they people seemed most intent on getting on with the BUSINESS of life--enjoying good food and creature comforts and pretending the rest of the world didn't exist. Anything we did to annoy the North was viewed disdainfully.

They know the north is crazy and dangerous. But they seem to court denial about it at the same time.

[Poohbah]

What you describe wasn't the fault of the ship, its arms, or even the powder, but the hideously poor state of training which the crews had when the battle wagons were re-introduced. Unfortunately, Navy brass wouldn't like them any more were they put back into the service of America one more time.

It was most assuredly the fault of the powder.

As anyone who's shot competitively can tell you, consistency is the mother of accuracy. You literally could not predict the muzzle velocity of the round from one salvo to the next with the blended powder, and the only lot that wasn't screwed up was used up from 1982 to 1991.

[Quix]

Welcome . . .

but . . . anyone claiming to be an expert on China--including Mao or the current leadership--is an idiot.

It's a huge, complex, fractured yet united place. Tons of ethnocentrism. But lots of cleverness and joy in living as well. Loved the people. Still do.

[judicial meanz]

The NK's have some pretty good missiles. They could hit as far as Chicago with reduced weight payloads. With regular payloads, they coulod hit Alaska and Hawaii.

I believe one has an extreme range of 6500 miles. That is an arc that covers most of Mid America.


Most of the yield I believe they have is about 20 KT, or a little bit bigger than our WWII nukes. I could be wrong there, though. I know they are and have been working on a hydrogen bomb with much higher yields.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The problem with NK is that they aren't afraid of MAD. That makes this situation more difficult.

Then I would settle for UAD. Unilateral Assured Destruction.

[ken5050]

Any assumptions about NK have to include the sanity, or lack of, of Dear Leader, and rest of the gang....it is debatable...Also, if, as appears likely, NK has one nuke, they could use it on the US troops at5 the DMZ, or lob it into Seoul.....alternative theory...if, IF PRC wants to move on Taiwan, what better time than when the US in engaged in Iraq?...so, how much, if any influence does the PRC have on NK?...Go figure..

[Quix]

Thanks.

Sounds like all those dreams are plausible. Sigh. Felt they were.

Sure seems like we ought to do them in, now.

But we won't. We are too used to farting around first and getting things GOOD AND REAL COMPLICATED before we act. Silly us.

[HiJinx]

I suppose that comes from being the good guys...

[Quix]

Interesting question.

I think China COULD HAVE tons of influence on NK in SOME contexts, situations.

But

1) The context would have to be suited to it.

2) The Chinese would have to feel sufficiently motivated to exert sufficient pressure of the likely successful sort.

3) NK's megalamaniacal leaders would have to have synchronous flashes of sanity sufficient to yield to such pressure.

It would be interesting to see what China would do if millions of starving etc. NK's started flooding that border regardless of being mowed down.

China hasn't been too thrilled at the refugees that have filtered across already.

But that's a far cry from giving NK trouble on the world stage.

That's a lot of ducks to have in a row.

[babyface00]

I think you make an astute observation here. The Chinese know that they can't take us on alone, and that we'd block any advance towards Taiwan. But...

If we're tied up with Iraq on the one hand and NK on the other, we might not be able to deal with China being a little agressive. If they did it without much bloodshed (because the Taiwanese knew we couldn't help them out) then we might not make much of a fuss - or at least that might be what they're thinking.

[Quix]

from being the good guys

AND

from being naive, short-sighted and in denial.

Not sure what the proportions are.

[Republic of Texas]

UAD. I like that.

[ken5050]

It's the timing..the proximity of the start the Iraqi waer with the NK eruption......seems way too coincidental.....the NKs actually had a good thing going with the recent election in SK...so why would they jeopardize that?.....unless they've been told to start acting up...and the only ones with any sway over them are the PRC...

[kaylar]

Check out this article on the North Korea crisis from the UK Times . The author is Malcolm Rifkin, Defense Sec. 92-95, Foreign Secretary 95-97:

It may, therefore, be the Far East rather than the Middle East that marks the return to a multipolar world and a limit to American hegemony

[JRandomFreeper]

ping.