Trump should respond to North Korea's ICBM launch

Marc Thiessen, on Fox News, wrote an opinion piece following NK's ICBM test. I concur with several key points he makes, and believe it would be an appropriate counter-demonstration of force.

Here is how Trump should respond: Take out the test site from which the North Koreans launched the missile toward Japan — just like he struck the military base in Syria from which the Assad regime had launched a chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.

Then, as I recently suggested in the Washington Post, Trump should declare North Korea a ballistic missile “no-fly zone” and a nuclear weapons “no-test zone.” He should warn the North Koreans that any further attempts to launch a ballistic missile will be met with a targeted military strike either taking out the missile on the launch pad or blowing it up in the air using missile defense technology. And any further attempt to test a nuclear weapon will be met with a targeted strike taking out the test site and other related nuclear facilities.

So long as North Korea does not retaliate, Trump should assure Pyongyang that he will take no further military action against the regime. However, if North Korea does retaliate, then the United States reserves the right to, as Trump put it to the UN General Assembly, “totally destroy North Korea.”

The bottom line is that there is no negotiating with North Korea. There is no diplomatic solution that is possible with Kim Jong Un in office. And so long as Pyongyang can launch missiles and test nuclear devices with impunity, they hold the initiative and are running the show on the Korean Peninsula. Trump should take control of the situation away from Pyongyang by unilaterally ending their nuclear and ballistic missile testing program.

www.foxnews.com...

This would reinforce the threats and posturing over the last several months, and show NK we mean business. It is a de-escalatory strike, to prevent NK from engaging in a pre-emptive launch that will result in a major conflict. Worked in Syria.

a reply to: JBurns


Marc Thiessen should Slim Pickens his ass down to North Korea.

How about we let China take care of China's mess?

Striking NK in any way risks a nuclear counter strike to SK and Japan. Syria didn’t have nukes or the ability to kill millions in an adjacent country.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus


I believe China recently sent a high level delegation to NK, for the purpose of preventing such an incident. NK's launch was a slap in their face as well. The best we can hope for is China's military to enforce the no ballistic missile fly zone or secure NK's nuclear weapons if/when the regime was decapitated.

SK has some something called a "graphite bomb" which short circuits electrical grids. Of course this would be devastating to an already poor power grid.

What other alternative do you see coming from this? They've made it very clear they won't give up their weapons.

a reply to: JBurns

Worked in Syria.

Yah how dare they test missile defense. Nobody should do that except US, lol.

originally posted by: JBurns
What other alternative do you see coming from this?

President I Make the Best Deals, The Best, needs to use his mad deal making skillz on China to get them to defuse North Korea. China has the economic clout with the North Koreans to effect policy, not us, since they are pretty much the only nation trading with North Korea in a meaningful way.

So long as North Korea does not retaliate

Sort of a big ask, I'd say.

Also, I feel like the military capabilities of NK are slightly more substantial than Syria's. Lobbing a few missiles at the latter isn't really in the same ballpark as it is with NK.

We need to start responding to these attacks with increased severity.

Either we are serious about stopping this guy from launching nuclear missiles or we're really not.

a reply to: whywhynot


That is true. However, some of the ballistic missile defense technologies have shown a very promising intercept rate. Much higher than GMD.

Since we have so many assets in that region, it is also entirely possible a missile could be taken out on the launch pad. This would be optimal.

BMD has a much higher probability of success when it only has to counter a handful of missiles. Allowing them to build a stockpile of missiles/warheads is only going to drastically decrease the effectiveness of our missile defense positions.

I have no doubt that we will continue to expand our global ballistic missile defense and theater defense technologies, but they are quickly overwhelmed by numerous missiles. Penetration aids further reduce its effectiveness, and it is a situation we don't want to see ourselves in.

If I'm not mistaken, don't we already have 3 carrier strike groups in the region as well? No doubt numerous SSBNs as well.

You also do not take US cyber/EW capability into account. What makes you think any of their command/control/communication/technology assets will be working? Look at air power, which US is the undisputed superior force. Navy as well. Most of NK's ships are limited in range, and our ships can sit several times that range away from them and still sink them. I don't think the US gets enough credit, as looking at the defense budget alone will tell you that we have some pretty impressive capabilities.

I once read our military could sustain 3 major simultaneous conventional conflicts. Anyone else read this?

originally posted by: Tempter

Either we are serious about stopping this guy from launching nuclear missiles or we're really not.

Korea hasn't launched any nuclear missiles.
On the other hand the uS has THADD ballistic missile installations on the Peninsula, carrier groups, bombers and troops running 'exercises' threatening them every day.

Besides, it isn't about Korea, its about containment and isolation of China.

Yeah sure? Throwing a few launch pad bunker busters would really teach him a lesson huh. Because after all, he's not on a knife edge at all.

One strike and fat boy will loose it. His bunch of crazy brainwashed loonies will head over that border in a flash.

Boy, I even bet he wouldn't even know where it actually came from either or has the capability to know? He'll just go all out on "teaching everybody a lesson"

One he'll never win. But crazy chubs really doesn't care right now. He just wants to make a point.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: Tempter

Either we are serious about stopping this guy from launching nuclear missiles or we're really not.

Korea hasn't launched any nuclear missiles.
On the other hand the uS has THADD ballistic missile installations on the Peninsula, carrier groups, bombers and troops running 'exercises' threatening them every day.

Besides, it isn't about Korea, its about containment and isolation of China.

Does it bother you we are in the better position militarily? They are our enemy, as defined by them. And no, this isn't about China as much as you think. NK is a legit threat.

Attacking North Korea guarantees a response from North Korea. Not a test either.

Should China or Russia attack America when America test launches it's Minuteman Missiles? It last tested them in August this year.

I think not.

I 'm not sure if I should post this since I can't back it up or find the details of it, but it was known in the past that NK gives Japan, China and the US notice before firing off the missiles.

If you think about it, it takes a very long time to make these missiles so my real hunch is the Kim is really in talks with the power players and telling them that he is slowly shooting his missiles to get rid of them and in fact fooling his people that "war" is imminent with the US. You know when you play with the big leagues you play along with their game. Proof of this is Libya and Iraq. So I think all this has been thought out and been negotiated long ago.

But on the other side of my view is the "sanctions" that have been in place for well over 20 years against NK. Why now suddenly air and naval sanctions are being talked about or in place?

Many of you here may not know it but Japan does a lot of business with NK, their ships come to Japan and even been known to smuggle in dope and yet nothing has been done about it other then taking in the crew and ship, what happened to them and the ships, I have no idea. Also many of the pachinko parlors here are NK owned and , yes, Japan still has a Communist Party in the Central govt.

So I kind of think in a way, if NK has a way of delivering a "big and scary" bomb, well, maybe peace can be realize since no one is going to go to war if the other govt. threatens the use of the "big and scary" bomb these days.

Just my thoughts.

Remember "War is a Racket".

a reply to: musicismagic

If you think about it, it takes a very long time to make these missiles

Not really. The biggest obstacle NK has always faced in missile development and production has been the "human resources" side of things, as in developing technology natively. They got around that by forging agreements with the Soviets and Chinese to get technology and allow NK "rocketeers" to work with those countries. To be frank, NK has been balls deep in the Scud program ever since they got it from the Soviets, which was decades ago.

Their production capabilities may not be the same as China, the US, and Russia, but they can produce plenty to cause serious headaches for everybody, especially their neighbors. And they've been doing so for many years.

originally posted by: JBurns
a reply to: whywhynot


That is true. However, some of the ballistic missile defense technologies have shown a very promising intercept rate. Much higher than GMD.

Since we have so many assets in that region, it is also entirely possible a missile could be taken out on the launch pad. This would be optimal.

BMD has a much higher probability of success when it only has to counter a handful of missiles. Allowing them to build a stockpile of missiles/warheads is only going to drastically decrease the effectiveness of our missile defense positions.

I have no doubt that we will continue to expand our global ballistic missile defense and theater defense technologies, but they are quickly overwhelmed by numerous missiles. Penetration aids further reduce its effectiveness, and it is a situation we don't want to see ourselves in.

If I'm not mistaken, don't we already have 3 carrier strike groups in the region as well? No doubt numerous SSBNs as well.

You also do not take US cyber/EW capability into account. What makes you think any of their command/control/communication/technology assets will be working? Look at air power, which US is the undisputed superior force. Navy as well. Most of NK's ships are limited in range, and our ships can sit several times that range away from them and still sink them. I don't think the US gets enough credit, as looking at the defense budget alone will tell you that we have some pretty impressive capabilities.

I once read our military could sustain 3 major simultaneous conventional conflicts. Anyone else read this?

Great argument for a war that kills 10 - 20 million people. Missile defense is improving? 3 carrier groups? Really? Look if we were under active attack all of that would mean something but to push a button on a crazy man, not so much.

Trump has got it and he is in the best position to know what is actually going on and what our true capabilities are.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: musicismagic

If you think about it, it takes a very long time to make these missiles

Not really. The biggest obstacle NK has always faced in missile development and production has been the "human resources" side of things, as in developing technology natively. They got around that by forging agreements with the Soviets and Chinese to get technology and allow NK "rocketeers" to work with those countries. To be frank, NK has been balls deep in the Scud program ever since they got it from the Soviets, which was decades ago.

Their production capabilities may not be the same as China, the US, and Russia, but they can produce plenty to cause serious headaches for everybody, especially their neighbors. And they've been doing so for many years.

True, but who supplies them with the fuel to fuel these rockets? The US govt?

Remember there were over 200 Americans living in NK working to help stop diseases.

originally posted by: musicismagic

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: musicismagic

If you think about it, it takes a very long time to make these missiles

Not really. The biggest obstacle NK has always faced in missile development and production has been the "human resources" side of things, as in developing technology natively. They got around that by forging agreements with the Soviets and Chinese to get technology and allow NK "rocketeers" to work with those countries. To be frank, NK has been balls deep in the Scud program ever since they got it from the Soviets, which was decades ago.

Their production capabilities may not be the same as China, the US, and Russia, but they can produce plenty to cause serious headaches for everybody, especially their neighbors. And they've been doing so for many years.

True, but who supplies them with the fuel to fuel these rockets? The US govt?

Remember there were over 200 Americans living in NK working to help stop diseases.

Obviously, because the US is the only one with the capability to produce the fuel they use.

/s

originally posted by: Shamrock6

originally posted by: musicismagic

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: musicismagic

If you think about it, it takes a very long time to make these missiles

Not really. The biggest obstacle NK has always faced in missile development and production has been the "human resources" side of things, as in developing technology natively. They got around that by forging agreements with the Soviets and Chinese to get technology and allow NK "rocketeers" to work with those countries. To be frank, NK has been balls deep in the Scud program ever since they got it from the Soviets, which was decades ago.

Their production capabilities may not be the same as China, the US, and Russia, but they can produce plenty to cause serious headaches for everybody, especially their neighbors. And they've been doing so for many years.

True, but who supplies them with the fuel to fuel these rockets? The US govt?

Remember there were over 200 Americans living in NK working to help stop diseases.

Obviously, because the US is the only one with the capability to produce the fuel they use.

/s

So why don't they go after the country that makes the fuel for NK ? Just makes sense to me.