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Pentagon: only ground invasion can destroy North Korean nuclear program Pentagon: only ground invasion can destroy North Korean nuclear program
(35 minutes later)
The only way to locate and destroy with complete certainty all components of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is through a ground invasion, a top Pentagon official has said. After a top Pentagon official said the only way to destroy North Korea’s nuclear weapons program would be through a ground invasion, a senior Senate Democrat urged the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, to “stay the course” and achieve a diplomatic solution to the crisis, in spite of President Donald Trump’s unpredictable behaviour and threats of military action.
In response, a group of 15 Democrats and one Republican member of Congress, all military veterans, called the assessment “deeply disturbing” and said such an action “could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting”. “The worst alternative is a war which could become nuclear,” Dianne Feinstein said.
The views were exchanged as Trump began a presidential visit to Asia in which the issue of North Korean nuclear ambitions looms large. Rear Adm Michael J Dumont of the joint staff offered his blunt assessment of US options in response to a letter from two Democrats who asked about casualty assessments in any conflict with North Korea.
“No one, no dictator, no regime … should underestimate American resolve,” Trump told a military audience at Yokota airbase near Tokyo on Sunday on the first leg of his five-nation trip. The US is evaluating North Korea’s ability to target heavily populated areas of South Korea with long-range artillery, rockets and ballistic missiles, Dumont said, adding that Seoul, the South’s capital with a population of 25 million, is just 35 miles from the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Nancy Pelosi, the House minority speaker, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday the US should “exhaust every possible diplomatic resolution” before resorting to force. She also said Donald Trump’s approach to North Korea was akin to “poking a stick in the eye of a mad dog”. Casualties would differ depending on the advance warning and the ability of US and South Korea forces to counter such attacks, Dumont said, mentioning the possibility that chemical and biological weapons might be used by the North.
Rear Adm Michael J Dumont of the Joint Staff offered the blunt assessment in response to a letter from two Democrats who asked about casualty assessments in any conflict with North Korea. “It is the most bleak assessment,” Feinstein, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, told CNN’s State of the Union. “I’ve spent a lot of time reading the intelligence. I’ve had an opportunity to discuss the situation with [Defense] Secretary [James] Mattis. I believe that an outbreak of war would kill hundreds of thousands of people.”
Representatives Ted Lieu of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote the letter, in answer to which 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. Dumont’s views were made public as Donald Trump began a visit to Asia in which North Korea and Kim Jong-un’s nuclear ambition loom large. “No one, no dictator, no regime … should underestimate American resolve,” he told a military audience at Yokota airbase near Tokyo on Sunday on the first leg of his five-country trip that will also take in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
He also pointed out that Seoul, the South’s capital with a population of 25 million, is just 35 miles from the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Casualties would differ depending on the advance warning and the ability of US and South Korea forces to counter such attacks, he said. The president has repeatedly threatened North Korea, saying in his maiden speech at the United Nations in September he would “totally destroy” the country if necessary. He has also repeatedly undercut Tillerson in his efforts to pursue talks with the regime in Pyongyang.
“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,” Dumont said. Feinstein said she was “very pleased that Secretary Tillerson is with the president [in Asia]. I think if he will stay the course and use diplomacy the way diplomacy can be used, that it might be possible to work something out. The worst alternative is a war which could become nuclear.”
He also mentioned the possibility that chemical and biological weapons might be used by the North. Also speaking to CNN on Sunday another senior Democrat, the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, said the US should “exhaust every possible diplomatic resolution”. She also said Trump’s approach to North Korea was akin to “poking a stick in the eye of a mad dog”.
Military officials would be happy to join “the intelligence community to address these issues in a classified briefing, he said. Feinstein said she was concerned about Trump’s behaviour on a high-stakes trip during which, the president told reporters on Air Force One, he expects to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Both men are due to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the 15 Democrats and one Republican said: “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.” “Everybody sees what the flaws in this president are,” Feinstein said. “There’s no question about it … Can he actually stay on script?
“I watched his remarks in Japan with respect to the military that was receiving him and I thought he did a good job. He stayed on script. It’s when he goes off script, it’s when he tweets, it’s where he has to attack everybody if he feels even slightly aggrieved.”
Feinstein also referred to Trump’s comment in a Fox News interview this week that vacancies at the state department were not a concern because he was “the only one that matters”.
“He isn’t the only one that matters,” she said. “He’s the one that’s there to solve problems on behalf of the United States and that’s what this trip is about and I hope and trust that he sticks to that mission.”
Representatives Ted Lieu of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote the original letter to Dumont. He answered: “A classified briefing would be the best place to discuss in detail the capability of the US and its allies 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.”
On Saturday, 15 Democrats and one Republican member of Congress, all military veterans, called Dumont’s assessment “deeply disturbing” and said such an action “could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting”.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers said: “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.”
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”.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,” the lawmakers said. “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.”