The only way to locate and destroy with complete certainty all components of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is through a ground invasion, American military planners said on Saturday.
That blunt assessment from the Pentagon is in response to a letter from two Democratic congressmen asking about casualty assessments in a conflict with North Korea.
Rear Adm Michael J Dumont of the Joint Staff offered the assessment in response to a letter from Reps Ted Lieu of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona.
Dumont noted that the US is evaluating North Korea’s ability to target heavily populated areas of South Korea with long-range artillery, rockets and ballistic missiles.
He also pointed out that Seoul, the South’s capital with a population of 25 million, is just 35 miles from the demilitarized zone.
The only way to locate and destroy with complete certainty all components of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is through a ground invasion, American military planners said on Saturday. North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un is seen in the above file photo
The amount of casualties would differ depending on the advance warning and the ability of US and South Korea forces to counter these attacks, he said.
‘A classified briefing would be the best place to discuss in detail the capability of the US and its allies to discuss capabilities to counter North Korea’s ability to respond with a nuclear weapon and eliminate North Korea’s nuclear weapons located in deeply buried, underground facilities,’ he said.
Military officials would be happy to join ‘the intelligence community to address these issues in a classified briefing,’ he said.
In a joint statement issued Saturday, 15 Democratic lawmakers and one Republican- all military veterans – called the assessment that a ground invasion would be required to destroy the North’s nuclear arsenal ‘deeply disturbing’ and that such an action ‘could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting.’
‘It is our intent to have a full public accounting of the potential cost of war, so the American people understand the commitment we would be making as a nation if we were to pursue military action,’ the lawmakers said.
They also said the Trump administration ‘has failed to articulate any plans to prevent the military conflict from expanding beyond the Korean Peninsula and to manage what happens after the conflict is over.’
‘With that in mind, the thought of sending troops into harm’s way and expending resources on another potentially unwinnable war is chilling. The President needs to stop making provocative statements that hinder diplomatic options and put American troops further at risk,’ they said.
President Donald Trump ramped up his tough rhetoric against North Korea when he arrived in Japan on Sunday, saying that the United States and its allies are prepared to defend freedom and that ‘no dictator’ should underestimate US resolve.
President Donald Trump (left) kicked off a 12-day Asian trip and is looking to present a united front with Japan against North Korea through meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests
Trump kicked off a 12-day Asian trip and is looking to present a united front with Japan against North Korea through meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests.
He told reporters on Air Force One en route to Asia that North Korea would figure prominently in discussions during the trip. He also singled out trade, which he said had been ‘badly handled’ in the region for years.
Trump has rattled some allies with his vow to ‘totally destroy’ North Korea if it threatens the United States and his dismissal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a ‘rocket man’ on a suicide mission.
‘No dictator, no regime, no nation should ever underestimate American resolve,’ Trump told hundreds of cheering US and Japanese troops in camouflage uniforms gathered at Yokota Air Base, just west of Tokyo, soon after he arrived.
‘Every once in a while, in the past, they underestimated us. It was not pleasant for them, was it?’ said Trump, who wore a leather bomber jacket as he addressed the troops.
North Korea’s recent actions, including several missiles that overflew Japan and Pyongyang’s sixth and largest nuclear test, have raised the stakes in the most critical international challenge of Trump’s presidency.
Recent drills over South Korea by two US strategic bombers have further raised tensions.
‘We will never yield, never waver and never falter in defense of our freedom,’ Trump said.
He told reporters earlier on Air Force One that a decision would be made soon on whether to add reclusive North Korea to a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
His administration also planned to take a different approach to dealing with the issue after years of what he termed ‘total weakness’, although he did not give any details.
‘We want to get it solved. It’s a big problem for our country and the world, and we want to get it solved,’ he said.