Odds of US military invasion on Korean Peninsula rising

[webfact]

Odds of US military invasion on Korean Peninsula rising

The US military plans to deploy an armored battalion to South Korea in case of a crisis with North Korea, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Eight hundred troops and armored vehicles will be stationed near the demarcation line with the North starting next month. The announcement came a day after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel hosted South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se for talks at the Pentagon.

Washington has almost 30,000 troops on the ground in the South. A treaty with Seoul calls for the US military commander to lead both the American contingent and South Korea’s 640,000-strong force in case of war with the North.

Radio VR has talked with Richard Bush, who is the Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution based in Washington, D.C. In his opinion, a serious crisis between the two Koreas is highly probable.

Is the US planning to boost its military presence on the Korean peninsula in case of a crisis with North Korea? Do you think such a serious crisis is a probability?

Definitely. There are a couple of different reasons why a crisis could occur. One would be North Korea testing its long-range ballistic missiles or its nuclear weapons. That is one kind of crisis. The one that is more relevant in terms of the step that the US took recently is a limited conventional attack by North Korea on South Korea.

Full story: http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_01_09/Odds-of-US-military-invasion-on-Korean-Peninsula-rising-8862/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2014-01-09

[Zolt]

Keep in mind the source of the article when reading the headline.

800 troops moved to South Korea does NOT an invasion make.

[Costas2008]

Not enough our problems with the political situation in Thailand, now we are faced with a possible war with North Korea!

God....put some sense to all of them!

[rijb]

The Voice of Russia... about as credible as Dennis Rodman.

[MJP]

Not enough our problems with the political situation in Thailand, now we are faced with a possible war with North Korea!

God....put some sense to all of them!

Nothing ever seems to change does it?

History continues to repeat, same old broken record of human misery and suffering.

We've come so far technologically, but we've barely moved on socially from neanderthal man.

Really, it's getting boring.

[h90]

Not enough our problems with the political situation in Thailand, now we are faced with a possible war with North Korea!

God....put some sense to all of them!

Nothing ever seems to change does it?

History continues to repeat, same old broken record of human misery and suffering.

We've come so far technologically, but we've barely moved on socially from neanderthal man.

Really, it's getting boring.

how do you know how developed the neanderthal man was?

[MJP]

Not enough our problems with the political situation in Thailand, now we are faced with a possible war with North Korea!

God....put some sense to all of them!

Nothing ever seems to change does it?

History continues to repeat, same old broken record of human misery and suffering.

We've come so far technologically, but we've barely moved on socially from neanderthal man.

Really, it's getting boring.

how do you know how developed the neanderthal man was?

Because I have a low forehead and my knuckles scrape on the ground.

[slipperylobster]

Silly article.

Troops have been there since the Korean War. Most everyone knows why, as it has never officially ended.

For what it is worth, there has been a buildup of supplies carried in by MSC and Merchant Marine ships in that area, starting only about five years ago or so. This according to some pals that work on those vessels.

My opinion....Asia is becoming more and more unstable.... This is where new money will be going into.

Ladies in Thailand already getting more than their fair share....lol

[bender92]

Don'w worry, Dennis Rodman will make peace with Dear Leader.

[Showbags]

Hope they took plenty cans of Pal.

[Clint1965]

Silly article.

Troops have been there since the Korean War. Most everyone knows why, as it has never officially ended.

For what it is worth, there has been a buildup of supplies carried in by MSC and Merchant Marine ships in that area, starting only about five years ago or so. This according to some pals that work on those vessels.

My opinion....Asia is becoming more and more unstable.... This is where new money will be going into.

Ladies in Thailand already getting more than their fair share....lol

Yes but not beefed up and placed just south of the demarcation border. That is sabre rattling at the north, and we all know how they respond to that.

[impulse]

With thousands of pieces of NK heavy artillery within range of Seoul, I doubt it will be the USA making any first move.

[captspectre]

Don'w worry, Dennis Rodman will make peace with Dear Leader.

maybe the dear leader would adopt him! looks like a good pair, with rodman bowing down so low that you can see the crack of his a--!

[bangarang]

Not enough our problems with the political situation in Thailand, now we are faced with a possible war with North Korea!

God....put some sense to all of them!

What does thailand have to do with North Korea? Is the LoS a "threat" to the US? nope... so then the US wont step in the political situation here. LoS is just the military's vacation spot.

[folium]

What a load of drivel from good ole Voice of Russia.

Here's what is actually happening:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/us-korea-usa-troops-idUSBREA061AU20140108

Quite how VoR can twist this into "odds of US invasion of NK increasing", just underlines its credibility, or lack of.

9 month rotations of 800 soldiers is more about political posturing and underscoring a commitment to an ally.

Edited January 9, 2014 by folium

[BlueSkyCowboy]

With thousands of pieces of NK heavy artillery within range of Seoul, I doubt it will be the USA making any first move.

The US does have some great weapons. Especially the air-force and smart bombs. The fat boy and friends in the North must know that the south has the Lat/Long of his humble home

[impulse]

With thousands of pieces of NK heavy artillery within range of Seoul, I doubt it will be the USA making any first move.

The US does have some great weapons. Especially the air-force and smart bombs. The fat boy and friends in the North must know that the south has the Lat/Long of his humble home

Doesn't matter how smart the weapons are. The opening artillery volley in any new Korean war would probably kill tens or hundreds of thousands of civilians in Seoul, before the air force could even launch a single aircraft.

[MoonShadow]

*Deleted post edited out*

I think the US is very well aware of the issues, culture and interests in this area......read your history books!!

Edited January 9, 2014 by Scott

[bangon04]

"Radio VR has talked with Richard Bush, who is the Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution based in Washington, D.C. In his opinion, a serious crisis between the two Koreas is highly probable."

Another Bush wants to go to war.....

[Chicken George]

Start trading with the North.. isolation has just caused problems. Tell me where its paid off. Integration trade and talking works. But thats Not the American way. Free Trade my Arse

[noikrit]

The " Voice Of Russia " ...... Say no more ......

[jamhar]

800. Right!

Yep the NK's are shaking in their boots. If the troops all farted at the same time, VOR would claim "chemical attack near!!!

[Scott]

Off-topic and inflammatory posts and replies deleted.

[RichinThailand]

I don't understand why you would even post this considering the source. This is like Fox News quoting a blogger's comments as fact. Wht would you expect Russia to say??

800 troops is two plane loads...certainly not much of an invasioin!!!!!

[Faranguy]

Don'w worry, Dennis Rodman will make peace with Dear Leader.

EPITATH FOR MR RODMAN

I came in peace and left in pieces. Bad doggy!

[ericthai]

Start trading with the North.. isolation has just caused problems. Tell me where its paid off. Integration trade and talking works. But thats Not the American way. Free Trade my Arse

Do you pay attention to what goes on outside of Thailand? In the past the US has given food to North Korea when they were where showing they stopped all progress on their nuclear program. However that did not last long and North Korea started again, therefore the embargo. The leader is a nut case. All he cares about is himself while his people starve and die but he is living the high life so it just doesn't matter. Keeping the embargo in place is keeping him in check and making it hard for them to move forward with their military programs. So why do you think free trade will help?

[impulse]

Start trading with the North.. isolation has just caused problems. Tell me where its paid off. Integration trade and talking works. But thats Not the American way. Free Trade my Arse

Do you pay attention to what goes on outside of Thailand? In the past the US has given food to North Korea when they were where showing they stopped all progress on their nuclear program. However that did not last long and North Korea started again, therefore the embargo. The leader is a nut case. All he cares about is himself while his people starve and die but he is living the high life so it just doesn't matter. Keeping the embargo in place is keeping him in check and making it hard for them to move forward with their military programs. So why do you think free trade will help?

Perhaps because there are very few cases throughout recent history where an economic embargo bent any unfriendly corrupt leadership to the will of the west? I can't think of one case, but I'll stick with "very few".

Economic embargoes do cause immense suffering among the little people and kill thousands of innocents, taking a heavy toll of children. The hope being that the little people will suffer so much that they put pressure the corrupt leadership.

Doesn't seem like a very humane plan, and certainly hasn't been very effective in Cuba, Iran, N Korea, xxx...xxx....

Edited January 9, 2014 by impulse

[Publicus]

Voice of Russia is a Vladmir Putin mouthpiece which almost always - if not always - overstates U.S. military operations and forward force deployments globally so here is the Voice of Putin doing it again.

Richard Bush at the respected Brookings Institution is an expert in Cross-Strait Relations among the U.S., Beijing, Taiwan. Bush needs access to Russian authorities and officials and is known to cooperate with them in some harmless give and take, as he is doing in this instance.

Putin for years has used Russian news media and Moscow "Speak Tanks" to sound alarms against several "imminent" but never occurred U.S. attacks against Iran especially and in particular, but also against Pakistan, Afghanistan authorities in Kabul, terrorist organizations in Kazakhstan and other places. Moscow is regularly predicting imminent U.S. attacks throughout the South Asia and East Asia strategic region - the boy who cries wolf even when sitting in his living room.

The fact is, while the Korean peninsula remains a dangerous and potentially explosive place, a U.S. invasion there is not in the cards to anyone who has any realistic awareness of the situation there. The deployment Voice of Russia references is a rotational one and is a part of the U.S. rebalancing to the Asia Pacific strategic region announced several years ago by Prez Obama.

Cavalry Rotational Deployment Supports Asia-Pacific Rebalance

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

The 800 soldiers of the combined-arms battalion will deploy for the nine-month rotation with their wheeled and tracked vehicles in support of U.S. Forces Korea, the 8th U.S. Army, officials said. Their equipment will remain in South Korea for use by follow-on rotations when the unit returns to Fort Hood, TX.

The deployment underscores the U.S. defense commitment to South Korea and is part of enduring U.S. rebalancing efforts within the Asia-Pacific region, officials said. Posturing a trained, combat-ready force in the region allows for greater responsiveness to better meet theater operational requirements, they added.

http://www.geostrategicforecasting.com/cavalry-rotational-deployment-supports-asia-pacific-rebalance/

The forward deployment of the battalion to S Korea is a part of the larger Pentagon rebalancing strategy which has newly placed 2500 US Marines on rotation in Darwin, Australia; a new rotation of US Navy littoral (coastal waters) combat ships at Changi Naval Base in Singapore; the 4^th Forward Deployed Naval Force SSN and the Firescout Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Guam along with several E-3 electronic surveillance aircraft among other recent new forward deployments of US military forces to the region.

There is nothing unusual here.

In fact six of the 10 U.S Navy Destroyers that used to be permanently based in Rota, Spain have been relocated to the Pacific Command to provide ballistic missile defense to Japan, Taiwan, Australia.

Direct re-deployments to the Asia-Pacific theater are underway from the US of space, cyber, tactical aircraft and bomber forces to include 60 percent of combat-coded F-22s. Moreover, the Army and Marine Corps, in addition to the 91,000 forces already deployed to the Asia-Pacific are currently in the process of sending another 60,000 soldiers from CENTCOM as the US draws down from Afghanistan. These additional forces will relocate throughout the region.

Putin's Russia just doesn't fit into any US Asia-Pacific strategic plans. Russia is neither a U.S. ally, nor is it an emerging power - nor is Russia a major player in regional institutions. It is not a major economic or security partner of the United States and has serious democracy and human rights problems.

Hence the continuing flow of wild stories and heckling out of Putin's Moscow.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Publicus

[khunken]

Start trading with the North.. isolation has just caused problems. Tell me where its paid off. Integration trade and talking works. But thats Not the American way. Free Trade my Arse

Do you pay attention to what goes on outside of Thailand? In the past the US has given food to North Korea when they were where showing they stopped all progress on their nuclear program. However that did not last long and North Korea started again, therefore the embargo. The leader is a nut case. All he cares about is himself while his people starve and die but he is living the high life so it just doesn't matter. Keeping the embargo in place is keeping him in check and making it hard for them to move forward with their military programs. So why do you think free trade will help?

Half right. Food for no nukes worked until Bush came to power and threw a huge spanner in the works with his Axis of Evil. Following the lies that led to the invasion of Iraq, NK decided that developing nuclear weapons was a good way of ensuring no invasion there. Things were exacerbated by the election of a right-wing president in S Korea. So no negotiations.

Yes, The ruling dynasty in NK are nut cases but you don't deal with a nut case by inciting him with your own nut cases. The article may be crap but the only way to deal with NK is by talking with them - without any preconditions. As it hasn't been tried since 2000, it's worth a try now.

[Ulic]

So if odds of an invasion increase from 1 in 5 million to 1 in a million is that significant ?