Offical Korean War Thread (1 Viewer)

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

I'm still having a hard time taking Chuck Hagel seriously. He looks like a guy they just dragged in off the street.

I hope he knows what he's doing.

"North Korea has been, with its bellicose rhetoric, with its actions ... skating very close to a dangerous line. Their actions and their words have not helped defuse a combustible situation," Hagel said.

Not sure Hagel is aware that NK's goal is to have a combustible situation

You do realize that Hagel's soundbites are not necessarily intended to display all that he knows or thinks about the situation, right?

Wow

 

[jamny]

Pentagon: NKorea could launch nuclear missile

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. intelligence report concludes that North Korea has advanced its nuclear knowhow to the point that it could arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, a jarring revelation in the midst of bellicose threats from the unpredictable communist regime.

President Barack Obama urged calm, calling on Pyongyang to end its saber-rattling while sternly warning that he would "take all necessary steps" to protect American citizens.

The new American intelligence analysis, disclosed Thursday at a hearing on Capitol Hill, says the Pentagon's intelligence wing has "moderate confidence" that North Korea has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles but that the weapon was unreliable.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., read aloud what he said was an unclassified paragraph from a secret Defense Intelligence Agency report that was supplied to some members of Congress. The reading seemed to take Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by surprise, who said he hadn't seen the report and declined to answer questions about it.

In a statement late Thursday, Pentagon press secretary George Little said: "While I cannot speak to all the details of a report that is classified in its entirety, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced" in Lamborn's remarks.

'"The United States continues to closely monitor the North Korean nuclear program and calls upon North Korea to honor its international obligations," Little added.

The DIA conclusion was confirmed by a senior congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pentagon had not officially released the contents. The aide said the report was produced in March.

Since the beginning of March, the Navy has moved two missile defense ships closer to the coast of the Korean peninsula, in part to protect against a potential missile launch aimed at Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. The Pentagon also has announced it will place a more advanced land-based missile defense on Guam, and Hagel said in March that he approved installing 14 additional missile interceptors in Alaska to bolster a portion of the missile defense network that is designed to protect all of U.S. territory.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said it had moved a sea-based X-band radar — designed to track warheads in flight — into position in the Pacific.

Notably absent from that unclassified segment of the report was any reference to what the DIA believes is the range of a missile North Korea could arm with a nuclear warhead. Much of its missile arsenal is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan, but Kim has threatened to attack the United States as well.

At the House Armed Services Committee hearing in which he revealed the DIA assessment, Lamborn asked Dempsey, whether he agreed with it. Dempsey said he had not seen the report.

"You said it's not publicly released, so I choose not to comment on it," Dempsey said.

But David Wright, a nuclear weapons expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the DIA assessment probably does not change the views of those who closely follow developments in North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

"People are starting to believe North Korea very likely has the capability to build a nuclear weapon small enough to put on some of their shorter-range missiles," Wright said. "Once you start talking about warheads small enough and technically capable to be on a long-range missile, I think it's much more an open question."

The DIA assessment is not out of line with comments Dempsey made Wednesday when he was asked at a Pentagon news conference whether North Korea was capable of pairing a nuclear warhead to a ballistic missile that could reach Japan or beyond.

In response, Dempsey said the extent of North Korean progress on designing a nuclear weapon small enough to operate as a missile warhead was a classified matter. But he did not rule out that the North has achieved the capability revealed in the DIA report.

"They have conducted two nuclear tests," Dempsey told a Pentagon news conference. "They have conducted several successful ballistic missile launches. And in the absence of concrete evidence to the contrary, we have to assume the worst case, and that's why we're postured as we are today." He was referring to recent moves by the U.S. to increase its missile defense capabilities in the Pacific.

At the same House hearing where Lamborn revealed the DIA conclusion, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was asked a different version of the same question: Does North Korea have the capability to strike U.S. territory with a nuclear weapon? Hagel said the answer is no.

"Now does that mean that they won't have it or they can't have it or they're not working on it?" Hagel added. "No. That's why this is a very dangerous situation."

"Now is the time for North Korea to end the belligerent approach they have taken and to try to lower temperatures," Obama said in his first public comments since Pyongyang threatened the United States and its allies in East Asia with nuclear attack.

Obama, speaking from the Oval Office, said he preferred to see the tensions on the peninsula resolved through diplomatic means, but added that "the United States will take all necessary steps to protect its people."

The North on Thursday delivered a fresh round of war rhetoric with claims it has "powerful striking means" on standby, the latest in a torrent of warlike threats seen by outsiders as an effort to scare and pressure South Korea and the U.S. into changing their North Korea policies.

Lamborn is a member of the Strategic Forces subcommittee of the Armed Services panel, which oversees ballistic missiles. A former state legislator who was elected to the House in 2006, was a member of the Tea Party caucus and belongs to the Republican Study Committee, the caucus of House conservatives

At a separate hearing Thursday, U.S. officials offered their assessment of the North Korean leader, who is a grandson of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the House Intelligence Committee that he thinks Kim, who took control after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in 2011, is trying to show the U.S., the world and his own people that he is "firmly in control in North Korea," while attempting to maneuver the international community into concessions in future negotiations.

"I don't think ... he has much of an endgame other than to somehow elicit recognition" and to turn the nuclear threat into "negotiation and to accommodation and presumably for aid," Clapper said.

Clapper said that the intelligence community believes the North would use nuclear weapons only to preserve the Kim regime but that analysts do not know how the regime defines that.

Secretary of State John Kerry was headed Thursday to East Asia, where he planned talks with officials in Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo about North Korea.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

:KimDot:

 

[Fennis]

:KimChi:

 

[mad sweeney]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

 

[T Bell]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Well ####.

 

[johnnycakes]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

So do we basically need china, Russia, sk, and Japan to give us the ok to bomb these missile sites?

 

[T Bell]

So do we basically need china, Russia, sk, and Japan to give us the ok to bomb these missile sites?

No way we'd ask permission from Russia or China. We're probably consulting closely with SK on such a decision, and likely Japan as well. If we make up our mind to do it, I don't think we could trust Russia or China even with some advanced warning that it's coming. Those two are way too interested in harming our international prestige by thwarting what we're doing.

 

[johnnycakes]

So do we basically need china, Russia, sk, and Japan to give us the ok to bomb these missile sites?

Those countries carry too much clout and are too important to us to just act like A-holes and act without some diplomatic discourse with them first.

 

[mad sweeney]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Quite true, but a missile attack would be plenty of confirmation for the US to get their hackles up and attack.

 

[mad sweeney]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

 

[T Bell]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

 

[joffer]

Do they just have fission bombs? Or are we talking thermonuclear devices?

 

[Fennis]

우리는 게임을 플레이 한다?
우리는 게임을 플레이 한다?

 

[T Bell]

Do they just have fission bombs? Or are we talking thermonuclear devices?

My understanding is fission only, and the yield is not very impressive (not that I'd want it detonating anywhere near me, mind). Fusion is much more complex.

 

[Sinn Fein]

This whole threat has been blown way out of proportion. How serious can the threat be if we are sending our SOS to the region - 30 miles from the DMZ zone.

The only real question the media should be asking is who is pushing this agenda, and why.

 

[NCCommish]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

Well not quite. The nuclear material would be spread out by the explosion. It would linger in the atmosphere. That is how a dirty bomb works. Depending on wind conditions it could still end up affecting a population. And these missiles likely never get high enough to burn up on the way down. This isn't a re-entry from orbit. There would be big pieces of the missile left in the ocean.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

CNN just had billy Graham's son on as a North Korea expert. He ended his segment by saying nk is an atheist country and he needs to show them Jesus etc etc. CNN has really fallen off IMO. Its like E and espn now with a little bit of actual news sprinkled in. Where else can I watch real news now?

 

[Apple Jack]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Might want to go back and read up on the ramp up to Iraq.

 

[Apple Jack]

The kid is following daddy's playbook and was just looking to get some free stuff. I don't think he was intending to have his bluff called, so this is getting a little sketchy.

Grandfather and uncle both killed in Korea. Korea also my second favorite memorial on the Mall behind the Lincoln.

 

[Vykng]

Pentagon: NKorea could launch nuclear missile

Funny comment from that article:

Well, the N. Koreans have won the coin toss.....and they have elected to receive...

 

[T Bell]

The kid is following daddy's playbook and was just looking to get some free stuff. I don't think he was intending to have his bluff called, so this is getting a little sketchy.

I think this is largely true, in addition to increasing his prestige at home. An interesting article I read, however, said that people are noting that his father in particular was good at leaving himself "outs" during these confrontations which enabled him to relatively gracefully de-escalate the situation, and Un hasn't seemed to do that as skillfully.

 

[Slapdash]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Does North Korea have a lot of oil too?

 

[Slapdash]

CNN just had billy Graham's son on as a North Korea expert. He ended his segment by saying nk is an atheist country and he needs to show them Jesus etc etc. CNN has really fallen off IMO. Its like E and espn now with a little bit of actual news sprinkled in. Where else can I watch real news now?

Maybe if you get Al Jazeera

 

[NCCommish]

Yeah I think US intelligence is wrong, again. The SK military isn't buying the assessment and they have better intelligence inside the regime than we do. This is a country with no successful test of an ICBM with or without warhead.

 

[T Bell]

Yeah I think US intelligence is wrong, again. The SK military isn't buying the assessment and they have better intelligence inside the regime than we do. This is a country with no successful test of an ICBM with or without warhead.

People talk about "US intelligence" as if it's one monolithic thing. A single, controversial report gets publicized precisely because it suggests the worst news, and all of a sudden this becomes The Official Position of the US? I don't think so.

I also don't put it past the Administration and the Pentagon to have leaked that report at the height of this crisis to suggest to NK that the US feels threatened (even if incorrectly) and is willing to act more aggressively than it otherwise might.

In short, there's a lot going on here, and I don't take any single report at face value.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Yeah I think US intelligence is wrong, again. The SK military isn't buying the assessment and they have better intelligence inside the regime than we do. This is a country with no successful test of an ICBM with or without warhead.

This. If NK had ballistic missile technology, they would have shown it off already.

 

[Apple Jack]

What did they launch a couple years ago? I forget.

 

[NCCommish]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Does North Korea have a lot of oil too?

Better. They have rare earth minerals. According to the South about 6 trillion USD worth at current market values. Keep in mind the North wouldn't show them everything so that is a partial accounting really. The Chinese are helping them develop these resources last I heard. If they can get them online Un will not have to reform the economy and they will become a very wealthy country. He will also solidify his power.

 

[NCCommish]

Yeah I think US intelligence is wrong, again. The SK military isn't buying the assessment and they have better intelligence inside the regime than we do. This is a country with no successful test of an ICBM with or without warhead.

People talk about "US intelligence" as if it's one monolithic thing. A single, controversial report gets publicized precisely because it suggests the worst news, and all of a sudden this becomes The Official Position of the US? I don't think so.

I also don't put it past the Administration and the Pentagon to have leaked that report at the height of this crisis to suggest to NK that the US feels threatened (even if incorrectly) and is willing to act more aggressively than it otherwise might.

In short, there's a lot going on here, and I don't take any single report at face value.

Pretty sure since everyone and their brother is downplaying the report it isn't the US position. Don't think anyone claimed it was. And I don't think this was an intentional leak. DoD came off looking surprised by the report. And it was a Congressman who read the report into the record not an anonymous leak.

 

[Slapdash]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Does North Korea have a lot of oil too?

Better. They have rare earth minerals. According to the South about 6 trillion USD worth at current market values. Keep in mind the North wouldn't show them everything so that is a partial accounting really. The Chinese are helping them develop these resources last I heard. If they can get them online Un will not have to reform the economy and they will become a very wealthy country. He will also solidify his power.

Well, that is an interesting turn.

 

[NCCommish]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Does North Korea have a lot of oil too?

Better. They have rare earth minerals. According to the South about 6 trillion USD worth at current market values. Keep in mind the North wouldn't show them everything so that is a partial accounting really. The Chinese are helping them develop these resources last I heard. If they can get them online Un will not have to reform the economy and they will become a very wealthy country. He will also solidify his power.

Well, that is an interesting turn.

Almost as interesting as the estimated 4 million tons of high quality Uranium they are thought to be able to mine in country.

 

[T Bell]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

Well not quite. The nuclear material would be spread out by the explosion. It would linger in the atmosphere. That is how a dirty bomb works. Depending on wind conditions it could still end up affecting a population. And these missiles likely never get high enough to burn up on the way down. This isn't a re-entry from orbit. There would be big pieces of the missile left in the ocean.

I don't dispute the radiation in the atmosphere, but I don't think you're right about any significant wreckage making its way to earth. Remember that ICBM's do in fact briefly leave the atmosphere and reach near space. The anti-missile systems are built to defeat the MIRV's, which requires that the ICBM be destroyed before it reenters the atmosphere and deploys all the independently targeted warheads (which would be exponentially more difficult to 100% intercept and destroy afterwards). While NK doesn't possess MIRV's, the anti-missile system would still operate in much the same way and kill the NK warhead very high up in the atmosphere.

 

[NCCommish]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

Well not quite. The nuclear material would be spread out by the explosion. It would linger in the atmosphere. That is how a dirty bomb works. Depending on wind conditions it could still end up affecting a population. And these missiles likely never get high enough to burn up on the way down. This isn't a re-entry from orbit. There would be big pieces of the missile left in the ocean.

I don't dispute the radiation in the atmosphere, but I don't think you're right about any significant wreckage making its way to earth. Remember that ICBM's do in fact briefly leave the atmosphere and reach near space. The anti-missile systems are built to defeat the MIRV's, which requires that the ICBM be destroyed before it reenters the atmosphere and deploys all the independently targeted warheads (which would be exponentially more difficult to 100% intercept and destroy afterwards). While NK doesn't possess MIRV's, the anti-missile system would still operate in much the same way and kill the NK warhead very high up in the atmosphere.

Well these missiles aren't truly ICBMs. ICBMs have a range of more than 5500 KM. The Musudan is considered a medium range missile which IIRC is one stage and never really leaves the atmosphere. The Taepodong-2 is their ICBM. They have never tested it and it isn't what is on the launchers based on what I have read.

 

[T Bell]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

Well not quite. The nuclear material would be spread out by the explosion. It would linger in the atmosphere. That is how a dirty bomb works. Depending on wind conditions it could still end up affecting a population. And these missiles likely never get high enough to burn up on the way down. This isn't a re-entry from orbit. There would be big pieces of the missile left in the ocean.

I don't dispute the radiation in the atmosphere, but I don't think you're right about any significant wreckage making its way to earth. Remember that ICBM's do in fact briefly leave the atmosphere and reach near space. The anti-missile systems are built to defeat the MIRV's, which requires that the ICBM be destroyed before it reenters the atmosphere and deploys all the independently targeted warheads (which would be exponentially more difficult to 100% intercept and destroy afterwards). While NK doesn't possess MIRV's, the anti-missile system would still operate in much the same way and kill the NK warhead very high up in the atmosphere.

Well these missiles aren't truly ICBMs. ICBMs have a range of more than 5500 KM. The Musudan is considered a medium range missile which IIRC is one stage and never really leaves the atmosphere. The Taepodong-2 is their ICBM. They have never tested it and it isn't what is on the launchers based on what I have read.

Even the Germans' V-2 rockets briefly entered space, and those are considered short range ballistic missiles.

 

[Slapdash]

After the Iraqi WMD debacle, I am very skeptical of what US intelligence says is any kind of a threat. Not after they put the president on national tv in March of what... 2002 uttering the words, "there is no doubt" with respect to Iraq having WMDs. They lack credibility in my book.

Does North Korea have a lot of oil too?

Better. They have rare earth minerals. According to the South about 6 trillion USD worth at current market values. Keep in mind the North wouldn't show them everything so that is a partial accounting really. The Chinese are helping them develop these resources last I heard. If they can get them online Un will not have to reform the economy and they will become a very wealthy country. He will also solidify his power.

Well, that is an interesting turn.

Almost as interesting as the estimated 4 million tons of high quality Uranium they are thought to be able to mine in country.

Someone set us up the bomb.

 

[NCCommish]

If a nuclearly-armed missile is shot down, will it or can it actually trigger the nuclear device or can it be detonated by remote?

To my understanding, and assuming it's designed like ours and the Soviets', no. It would break up in the atmosphere and not detonate. The detonation occurs at a set altitude, presumably for maximum effect. As far as fissile material, that of course doesn't just disappear, so I would gather there's some sort of release of radiation but that would have nowhere near the negative effect of a BFRC.

Thanks. I'm sure recovery of the warhead/nucular material would be a top priority.

Now that I'm thinking it through, I believe everything burns up in the atmosphere once it fragments. There's not much left to recover. I just don't know much about what if any radiation is released into the atmosphere.

Well not quite. The nuclear material would be spread out by the explosion. It would linger in the atmosphere. That is how a dirty bomb works. Depending on wind conditions it could still end up affecting a population. And these missiles likely never get high enough to burn up on the way down. This isn't a re-entry from orbit. There would be big pieces of the missile left in the ocean.

I don't dispute the radiation in the atmosphere, but I don't think you're right about any significant wreckage making its way to earth. Remember that ICBM's do in fact briefly leave the atmosphere and reach near space. The anti-missile systems are built to defeat the MIRV's, which requires that the ICBM be destroyed before it reenters the atmosphere and deploys all the independently targeted warheads (which would be exponentially more difficult to 100% intercept and destroy afterwards). While NK doesn't possess MIRV's, the anti-missile system would still operate in much the same way and kill the NK warhead very high up in the atmosphere.

Well these missiles aren't truly ICBMs. ICBMs have a range of more than 5500 KM. The Musudan is considered a medium range missile which IIRC is one stage and never really leaves the atmosphere. The Taepodong-2 is their ICBM. They have never tested it and it isn't what is on the launchers based on what I have read.

Even the Germans' V-2 rockets briefly entered space, and those are considered short range ballistic missiles.

I had my distances wrong. After doing some checking is it missiles with under 500 km range that don't leave the atmosphere. I was thinking the range was higher than that. So you are right, my apologies. And thanks for getting me to look around. I have learned that when you put a standard warhead load on a Musudan it drops it's range to 1500 km.

 

[T Bell]

I had my distances wrong. After doing some checking is it missiles with under 500 km range that don't leave the atmosphere. I was thinking the range was higher than that. So you are right, my apologies. And thanks for getting me to look around. I have learned that when you put a standard warhead load on a Musudan it drops it's range to 1500 km.

No worries. This is fascinating stuff to read about. The technology is essentially hitting a bullet with a bullet, many miles up above the earth, which is amazing. It's also unreliable technology, so I'm not exactly sure what to think of its use at this point in this particular situation.

 

[NCCommish]

I had my distances wrong. After doing some checking is it missiles with under 500 km range that don't leave the atmosphere. I was thinking the range was higher than that. So you are right, my apologies. And thanks for getting me to look around. I have learned that when you put a standard warhead load on a Musudan it drops it's range to 1500 km.

No worries. This is fascinating stuff to read about. The technology is essentially hitting a bullet with a bullet, many miles up above the earth, which is amazing. It's also unreliable technology, so I'm not exactly sure what to think of its use at this point in this particular situation.

I think it was the Navy Secretary who told Congress yesterday we should only try to shoot it down if tracking says it is aimed at one of our friends in the region. if it is aimed at an ocean splashdown he said let it go.

 

[T Bell]

I had my distances wrong. After doing some checking is it missiles with under 500 km range that don't leave the atmosphere. I was thinking the range was higher than that. So you are right, my apologies. And thanks for getting me to look around. I have learned that when you put a standard warhead load on a Musudan it drops it's range to 1500 km.

No worries. This is fascinating stuff to read about. The technology is essentially hitting a bullet with a bullet, many miles up above the earth, which is amazing. It's also unreliable technology, so I'm not exactly sure what to think of its use at this point in this particular situation.

I think it was the Navy Secretary who told Congress yesterday we should only try to shoot it down if tracking says it is aimed at one of our friends in the region. if it is aimed at an ocean splashdown he said let it go.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. Any time we use the system we put its capabilities and limitations on display to others, and we also risk failure which means loss of face and a propaganda victory for NK. There's just no upside unless we're actually protecting our own territory or that of an ally, especially given that we apparently still don't believe they are capable of mounting a nuke on one of these.

 

[shader]

North Korea really stepped up their rhetoric today. Can't figure out what this guy is doing.

 

[SacramentoBob]

North Korea really stepped up their rhetoric today. Can't figure out what this guy is doing.

Same as day 1.

 

[T Bell]

North Korea really stepped up their rhetoric today. Can't figure out what this guy is doing.

What new rhetoric?

 

[NCCommish]

North Korea really stepped up their rhetoric today. Can't figure out what this guy is doing.

What new rhetoric?

They threatened to nuke Tokyo if Japan shoots down one of their rockets. Of course if Japan can shoot down their rockets then it stands to reason the nuclear threat would be a bit hollow.

 

[Doug B]

Following things to logical conclusions ...

If North Korea's aim is to get concessions and aid, but the international community ignores the rhetoric (or doesn't respond in the desired way) ... doesn't NK have to "first strike" something somewhere? Not saying nukes ... maybe another island shelling or taking out an SK destroyer or something.

I realize that Un is doing a lot of this for domestic consumption, but still. Can Un keep power -- and keep his military's brass in line -- if he talks this much without result?

 

[NCCommish]

Following things to logical conclusions ...

If North Korea's aim is to get concessions and aid, but the international community ignores the rhetoric (or doesn't respond in the desired way) ... doesn't NK have to "first strike" something somewhere? Not saying nukes ... maybe another island shelling or taking out an SK destroyer or something.

I realize that Un is doing a lot of this for domestic consumption, but still. Can Un keep power -- and keep his military's brass in line -- if he talks this much without result?

His dad could whether or not he can remains to be seen. Biggest worry is this "kid" isn't leaving himself very many escape hatches. Something his father was expert at doing.

 

[T Bell]

North Korea really stepped up their rhetoric today. Can't figure out what this guy is doing.

What new rhetoric?

They threatened to nuke Tokyo if Japan shoots down one of their rockets. Of course if Japan can shoot down their rockets then it stands to reason the nuclear threat would be a bit hollow.

Huh, somehow I missed that one. I really don't know what NK's end game is, especially given that I refuse to believe they actually want to start a war.

 

[Fennis]

I had my distances wrong. After doing some checking is it missiles with under 500 km range that don't leave the atmosphere. I was thinking the range was higher than that. So you are right, my apologies. And thanks for getting me to look around. I have learned that when you put a standard warhead load on a Musudan it drops it's range to 1500 km.

No worries. This is fascinating stuff to read about. The technology is essentially hitting a bullet with a bullet, many miles up above the earth, which is amazing. It's also unreliable technology, so I'm not exactly sure what to think of its use at this point in this particular situation.

What Israel did with its anti-rocket technology was amazing. I think its effectiveness rate was somewhere around 75%. Considering the range on the missiles being fired were short, it is amazing to be able to intercept in such a short period of time.