US Forces on Alert for Possible Movement Near Korea

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | Monday, February 3, 2003 | Reuters

[Momaw Nadon]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some U.S. bombers, fighter jets and warships have been alerted for possible deployment to the western Pacific to deter any aggression by North Korea in case of a war in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said on Monday.

The officials told Reuters that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had not issued any final orders to move B-52 bombers, F-16 fighter jets or naval units closer to the tense Korean peninsula, now gripped in a nuclear crisis.

The additional forces have been requested by Adm. Thomas Fargo, based in Hawaii as head of U.S. forces in the Pacific and Asia rim.

"If such forces are moved, it would be done as a precautionary deterrent presence against any North Korean aggression in the event of a war in Iraq," said one of the officials, who asked not to be identified.

Officials stressed the possible deployment did not include any ground forces to join the 37,000 American troops stationed in South Korea.

Officials said that additional F-16 fighter jets could be moved from the United States to bases in Japan and that heavy B-52 or B-1B bombers could be moved to within emergency striking distance of North Korea -- perhaps to Guam.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, currently in Hawaii, might also be deployed toward the troubled Korean peninsula if the carrier USS Kitty Hawk is ordered to leave the western Pacific and head for the gulf in the event President Bush (news - web sites) decides to launch an invasion of Iraq, officials said.

The defense officials spoke as North Korea said on Monday its troops were at the ready in case of any U.S. "military and political moves" against it as tensions rose over the nuclear crisis on the peninsula.

The U.N. watchdog that oversaw a freeze in the communist state's nuclear program until it was thrown out in December also said it would hold an emergency session on Feb. 12 and was likely to ask the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue.

[onedoug]

If they start across, blast 'em at the border. Tac-Nuc if needs be. They need to understand this.

[Dog Gone]

But NK has said that if we take it the UN it's a declaration of war. That's probably BS, but we do have to prepared in case they're not joking this time.

[Dog Gone]

take it TO the UN...

sorry. That's what the preview is for.....

[caa26]

Thanks. March 3rd seems like the most likely date, if the War is going to start under the cover of a new moon. But, I'm thinking the stuff is going to hit the fan before then. Really I have no idea, I think the US might try squeeze out Saddam first by building military pressure around Baghdad.

[Terriergal]

ROFL!!!!!

[Terriergal]

now.. is that what we want to be talking about?

[El Gato]

I know the South Korean force is a good one. Well Trained. Do you know their #s? Added to our guys?

Something on the order of 600,000 active, all branches, 500k Army. Several million reservists. Figures may be old and the numbers a bit lower now. Our 37,000 are a drop in the bucket and are there to serve as a tripwire, aka "Speedbump".

[El Gato]

it seems like B-52's would be of limited utility

They'd use the cruise missles to knock out the air defenses. They might also be used against the advancing NK hordes, which would not have quite as effective air defense as the North itself. (How many hordes per sortie can a BUFF handle anyway? ;) )

[cmsgop]

Thank You,

Plus we have all that Kick A$$ S$it!!!!! LOL!!!!!

[El Gato]

It's close enough right now, if barely. The new moon was Feb 1 at 10:50 GMT the next one is on Mar 3 at 02:36 GMT, according to this NASA site

[Tennessee_Bob]

The figure I've seen is 1 million troops

Sure - go ahead - put them in huge masses again - cuts down on how many B-61's we have to use.

[cavtrooper21]

A speed bump with big nasty sharp pointy teeth (oh yea, and lots and lots of guns, ATGMs and other things that will do a good job of reducing NK's population problem)

[El Gato]

They have what,.......7 million?

Only if you count everyone with some reserve/militia committment. Active forces are around 1,127,000, with an even million of that being Army. "Real" reserves of about 1/2 million for the Army.

[cmsgop]

Thanks for that fact. I keep hearing this 7 million figure.

I figure an Ad from Pizza Hut™ could disarm half of them right of the bat.........:*)

[blam]

"Won't they have to get those inspectors out,and the world will know when that happens, won't it?"

There is a C-130 sitting in Baghdad just for this purpose. It is capable of taking all the inspectors out on one flight.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

War in Iraq within a week.....two on the outside.

I would have thought this too if you would have asked me 4 months ago. If you asked me a year ago, I would have predicted that we would be kicking Saddam's ass up around the moon by now. With the pace that things are moving, we'll be at war with Iraq by election day 2004.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND OUR ALLIES

[Robert_Paulson2]

apparently around 670,000.
with our help... maybe 720,000 on the ground.

who knows what ASSETS might be overhead, as we speak, or how many cruise equipped subs are in proximity... in addition to the kitty hawk or vinson...

It would NOT surprise me if we did NK before we did IRAQ.

[Ruger1099]

I feel sorry for President Bush. This man has gone through alot in his 2+ years as President.

The episode with China and our spy plane, Enron and all the other Enrons, September 11, the Columbia, Iraq, North Korea, etc.. The man has probably mentally aged 20 years. Clinton had it easy compared to Bush.

May God be with our President.

[Grampa Dave]

Reuters would do anything to divert a war with their Uncle Soddomite.

Hell, they would pay for some third world country to start a war with us to divert/deter the upcoming war with Iran.