U.S. Pacific Commander - Military-backed diplomacy needed to deal with North Korea

[webfact]

U.S. Pacific Commander - Military-backed diplomacy needed to deal with North Korea

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shakes hands with Harry Harris (L), the 24th Commander of United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), as Harris makes a courtesy visit to Abe at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 16 November 2017. REUTERS/Kimimasa Mayama/Pool

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Diplomacy backed by military power is needed to deal with North Korea's missile and nuclear development, the head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command said on Thursday.

 

North Korea has launched dozens of missiles under the leadership of Kim Jong Un as it accelerates a weapons programme designed to give it the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile.

 

In recent months, it has fired two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth and the largest nuclear test, stoking regional tension.

 

"Clearly, while diplomacy must be the main effort with North Korea, it has to be diplomacy backed by credible military power," Admiral Harry Harris said in Japan at the beginning of a meeting with Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump visited China this month seeking its help to rein in North Korea and a senior Chinese diplomat will visit the North from Friday.

 

China has repeatedly pushed for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but in recent months it has had only limited high-level exchanges with North Korea. The last time China's special envoy for North Korea visited the country was in February last year.

 

Onodera, for his part, told Harris that he believed a recent joint military exercise involving Japanese forces and three U.S. aircraft carriers had sent a "very strong message" to North Korea.

 

Harris separately told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the joint exercise in the Sea of Japan during President Donald Trump's visit to the region was "an example of how our militaries work together". Two Indian warships also took part.

 

Abe told Harris Japan wanted to closely coordinate with the United States to boost deterrence and response capability as the security environment in the region becomes more challenging.

 

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim, Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-16

[Srikcir]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

"Clearly, while diplomacy must be the main effort with North Korea

So far Trump's diplomatic strategy has been to depend on China motivated by US trade relations with China. There is no issue of US military power in that approach.

Yet Trump has threatened North Korea with military "options" if it doesn't cease nuclear weapons development - an approach the South Korean government doesn't support.

What is left is a confused Trump diplomatic approach backed by vague military options.

Situation FUBAR.

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, Srikcir said:

So far Trump's diplomatic strategy has been to depend on China motivated by US trade relations with China. There is no issue of US military power in that approach.

Yet Trump has threatened North Korea with military "options" if it doesn't cease nuclear weapons development - an approach the South Korean government doesn't support.

What is left is a confused Trump diplomatic approach backed by vague military options.

Situation FUBAR.

 

Trump appears not only confused but a bully whose bluff is waiting to be called. That's what NK might think anyway. Endless threats and innuendo whilst doing little. 

 

It seems to becoming evident that Trump has a certain one style fit's all negotiation stance. And that's very dangerous as he also has his finger on the trigger!

[Srikcir]

China has made clear recently that it has two main (at least for public consumption) issues with the US policy for the prevention of North Korea's nuclear weapons by force:

• Unmanageable North Korean refugees fleeing into China resuling from attack
• Regime change, ie., from a communist state to a democratic state

Why can't that be negotiated to get China's intercession to remove Jung-On, et al by all necessary force if necessary and end the nuclear weapons programs? No attack and occupation by the US and allies. For example:

• North Korean refugees remain in place supported by the UN and specifically by the members of the Nonproliferation Treaty
• Jung-On et al family is removed (to China?) but the nation still remains a communist state; China's politburo will appoint key North Korean leadership (albeit might be Chinese initially)
• North Korea signs an armistice with South Korea
• US removes all troops from South Korea
• UN inspections like Iran to assure no restart of nuclear weapons development