U.S. Would Send 690,000 Troops to Korea If War Breaks Out: Report

Yonhap News Worldservice (S Korea) ^

[Dirk McQuickly]

This would require conscription...

[Sparta]

To say we're going to be stretched thin, is an understatement.

[Sparta]

We're going to need about 100,000 in Iraq for occupation duty, most of the National Guard here at home for Homeland Security, 15,000 in Afghanistan, plus our Balkan deployments. We're screwed unless we restart the draft. Problem is, I think most of our young people will run for Mexico and Canada if the draft is restarted.

[Centurion2000]

interesting...

[Zack Nguyen]

Is it possible that this response is merely one of the many scenarios "gamed" out by the Pentagon as possible choices by the President?

[Dirk McQuickly]

If this was published in the time frame of 1998-2002, it's mostly irrelevant. Rumsfeld advocates a lighter more deadly force based on technology and special forces. We would certainly need to beef up the troop presence, but that number is a little high. Then again, a million man standing army has been know to require super-size troop deployments...

[Centurion2000]

Problem is, I think most of our young people will run for Mexico and Canada if the draft is restarted

All they have to do is to start recalling all Army and Marines who have left the service in the last several years (from Clinton's B$ leadership). They'll get the number they need.

[RCW2001]

Found a bit more on this "report"...

No more 'main enemy' in defense ministry text

by Kim Min-seok
December 28, 2002

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday published a report that substitutes for the controversial defense white paper that was withdrawn earlier this year. The report discusses Korean defense policies from 1998 to 2002.

The biannual white paper has discussed Korea's current defense posture; this year's paper was withheld because of North Korean complaints about earlier use of the term "main enemy" to refer to the North. This report omits the controversial term as it summarizes the defense policies of the Kim Dae-jung administration.

"We decided not to use the term because we value harmony between the North and South," an official at the ministry explained. But the report does not let the North off the hook entirely. "North Korea continues to enhance its military power, and there always exists the possibility of a provocation, for which the South should be fully prepared," one section of the report says.

The document boasts of progress the Korean armed forces have made in such areas as computerization of military information and the reorganization of the structure of Korea's forces. It also mentions the darker side of military life; it discusses an armed robbery committed by a military officer and notes that such cases have undermined public trust in the military.

The report also discusses the military capability of the United States Forces Korea and says in a crisis, a fleet of aircraft carriers and an additional 690,000 U.S. soldiers would be available for combat.

Source

[Gary Boldwater]

One thing to consider is if China gets involved. They could be backing N. Korea to start the whole mess and planning to strike at Taiwan and the Sprately Islands.
If the US gets stretched too thin, it's time for the nukes.

[antaresequity]

I will go...Trading has actually gotten mundane...

[Dirk McQuickly]

Draft Riots took place during the opening stages of the American Revolution, too. We'll always have them. The number would be higher than ever, but the media will hold them up as sensitive, loving people in need of a warm blanket and a pair of Nikes.

[rs79bm]

I don't believe we are going to send 690,000 troops for a minute. Do you realise how many troops that is? Nonetheless, just the thought of that should tone-down North Korea's reterict.

[jjm2111]

We could never fight a two front war w/out recalling ALL of the reserves and instituting a draft. I don't think we could get enough troops to SK in time to prevent the fall of Seoul either. They should move all those stupid Korean anti-U.S. types to the front lines if war does break out.

[crystalk]

I think if the armed forces needed that many, lines would form at all recruitment offices [outside liberal la la land] Monday morning.

Military authorities would have to pick and choose, and as poster above says, many would be persons who served recently offering to go back onto active duty.

Liberals make a big noise, but are not really very numerous. I don't think it would TAKE 690,000-- more like a tenth or a sixth of that, but if it DID take the larger number, they would come right out of the wood work, no need at all for the draft.

[Republic of Texas]

Our citizens couldn't run to Mexico. They don't allow illegal immigration.

[k2blader]

Bump.

[ken5050]

Right you are...however, consider....If PRC decided to make a move on Taiwan when we are occupied with Iraq..does it make sense to focus US attention, and forces on that theater?..I guess all the "assumptions" being made about different scenarios FIRST have to evaluate two concepts:<> 1. Are Dear Leader and the rest of the DNK bosses sane?

2. How much, if any, influence or control does PRC have over the DRNK?

[SamAdams76]

I believe that WW3 started on September 11, 2001.

Did many people know when WW2 started? I don't think so. It didn't start on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Nor did it start on September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Most people in the know (like Winston Churchill) realized that WW2 started way before then. When the Allies refused to enforce the conditions of the 1918 Armistice and allowed Germany to rebuild its strength, the die was cast for another world war. By 1933, WW2 had begun and was inevitable and unstoppable. Yet it was still possible at that time for the Allies to prevent the mass carnage that eventually took place by defeating Germany before it could grow much stronger.

I believe September 11, 2001 set in motion the unstoppable events that are beginning to occur right now. If we act now, we can still prevent the worst of it. If we waffle and attempt to negotiate our way out of it, our enemies will grow stronger and we will only ensure a larger and more deadlier war later on.