President Trump didn’t mince words when it came to putting North Korea on notice about further development of its nuclear capability and its growing threats against the United States and allies in Asia.
North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
The president added “they will be met with fire, fury, and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
As could be expected, the media and chattering class in Washington immediately took to their fainting couches.
Senate Democrats Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, Ben Cardin and John McCain (c’mon, McCain really is a Democrat in all but name only) criticized the President’s remarks as “reckless,” “bombastic,” “not helpful.” Representative Eliot Engel threw in ”unhinged” for good measure. Nice to know Kim Jong-un has friends in D.C. who’ll stand up for him.
In a time of a potentially deadly international crisis, it helps to know which folks not to share a foxhole with.
The rogue regime responded in kind, making a direct threat against the American territory of Guam, an island in the Western Pacific Ocean south of Japan and east of the Philippines. It’s home to around 163,000 people who are American citizens.
Prominent military installations there include Andersen Air Force Base, which houses long-range American bombers, and a U.S. Naval base where nuclear submarines are stationed. The island is 210 square miles in size.
The state-run KCNA news agency issued a statement that revealed the regime’s new strategy. It explicitly warned that it could carry out a “pre-emptive operation once the US shows signs of provocation”, and that it is “seriously considering a strategy to strike Guam with mid-to-long range missiles.”
The Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) also released a statement outlining its concern about U.S. military maneuvers in the area of the Korean peninsula.
The KPA Strategic Force is now carefully examining the operational plan for making an enveloping fire at the areas around Guam with medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 in order to contain the U.S. major military bases on Guam including the Anderson Air Force Base in which the U.S. strategic bombers, which get on the nerves of the DPRK and threaten and blackmail it through their frequent visits to the sky above south Korea, are stationed and to send a serious warning signal to the U.S.”
As a U.S. territory, Guam has a member of the House of Representatives. Democrat Madeleine Bardallo expressed her concerns about President Trump’s statement.
North Korea’s most recent threat to target Guam is dangerous and it further heightens tensions in our region. While we have heard threats like this in the past, I take them very seriously and continue to engage with our DOD partners to ensure that Guam and our people remain safe. Similar threats back in 2013 led me to advocate with then-Defense Secretaries Panetta and Hagel to deploy a THAAD battery to Guam, which I worked to permanently station on island. I have also discussed these threats with Secretary Mattis, PACOM Commander Admiral Harris, and other senior leaders in the Pentagon, and they have consistently reassured me that Guam is protected.”
“However these recent threats make it imperative for President Trump to work with the international community, especially with China and other stakeholders in the region, to de-escalate these tensions. The President’s tweet earlier today is concerning and unhelpful and does not lay out a clear strategy on how he will address the growing threats from North Korea. Kim Jung-Un’s reckless behavior cannot be tolerated, and I strongly urge the President to explore every avenue to peacefully respond to it and avoid further escalating this situation.”
It would appear the congresswoman is totally unaware of the president’s recent diplomatic victory at the United Nations, where the Security Council voted unanimously (15-0) to increase sanctions on North Korea. Among those voting with the United States were China and Russia.
Relying on its usual unnamed sources, i.e. government leakers, the Washington Post reported yesterday that the Japanese Defense Ministry has “confirmed” that North Korea has miniaturized a nuclear weapon that can be fitted as a warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The paper indicated the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency agreed with that assessment.
Oddly enough, that news would seem like an argument in favor of a pre-emptive U.S. military strike on North Korea.
In the meantime, residents of Guam should feel less anxious, given the presence of an advanced missile defense system.
The good news for Guam, is that the US has had a THAAD anti-ballistic missile battery on the Pacific island since 2015; in fact it was the first permanent deployment of THAAD outside continental United States.”
The THAAD system is designed to “intercept missiles in lower space and in the upper atmosphere with its extremely powerful, long range X-Band radar that defends U.S. soil and American citizens in Guam against North Korean ballistic missiles.”
No doubt, the war of words will continue. The escalation puts more pressure on China to use its influence to rein in Kim Jong-un, and it puts Democrats and Never Trumpers in the awkward position of not standing with the President of the United States in a time of potential war.
Should North Korea carry out its threat and strike first, will the Trump haters put aside their bitterness and join in a unified effort for the good of the country? Stay tuned.
Image: The Guardian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89h-X-tZa_w
He needs to just dissapear from the face of the earth.