U.S. flies bombers over Korean peninsula after North Korea missile test

[webfact]

U.S. flies bombers over Korean peninsula after North Korea missile test

By James Pearson and Michelle Nichols

 

One of two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flies a 10-hour mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, into Japanese airspace and over the Korean Peninsula, July 30, 2017. U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jacob Skovo/Handout via REUTERS.

 

SEOUL/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean peninsula in a show of force on Sunday and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said China, Japan and South Korea needed to do more after Pyongyang's latest missile tests.

 

North Korea said it conducted another successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) on Friday that proved its ability to strike America's mainland, drawing a sharp warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

Trump's ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Twitter on Sunday that the United States was "done talking" about North Korea, which was "not only a U.S. problem."

 

"China is aware they must act," Haley said, urging Japan and South Korea to increase pressure and calling for an international solution.

China, the North's main ally, said it opposed North Korea's missile launches, which it said violate UN Security Council resolutions designed to curb Pyongyang's banned nuclear and missile programmes.

 

"At the same time, China hopes all parties act with caution, to prevent tensions from continuing to escalate," China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

 

Early in his presidency, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and had expressed hope Beijing would use its economic clout to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

 

But on Saturday, Trump said on Twitter that he was "very disappointed in China" which he said profits from trade with the United States but does "NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue," he said.

 

DIRECT RESPONSE

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the midnight test launch of the missile on Friday night and said it was a "stern warning" for the United States that it would not be safe from destruction if it tries to attack, the North's official KCNA news agency said.

 

North Korea's state television broadcast pictures of the launch, showing the missile lifting off in a fiery blast in darkness and Kim cheering with military aides.

 

The missile test came a day after the U.S. Senate approved a package of sanctions against North Korea, Russia and Iran.

 

The B-1B flight was a response to the missile test and the July 3 launch of the "Hwasong-14" rocket, the Pentagon said. The bombers took off from a U.S. air base in Guam, and were joined by Japanese and South Korean fighter jets during the exercise, according to the statement.

 

"North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability," Pacific Air Forces commander General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy said in a statement.

 

"If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal, and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing."

 

Also on Sunday, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced the United States had successfully shot down a medium-range missile in the latest test of its THAAD missile defence program which is designed to protect the country against potential threats from countries such as North Korea and Iran.

 

The test was planned well before the rising tensions with North Korea and involved a medium-range missile, not the long-range types being tested by the North Koreans.

 

FAR REACH

 

The Hwasong-14, named after the Korean word for Mars, reached an altitude of 3,724.9 km (2,314.6 miles) and flew 998 km (620 miles)for 47 minutes and 12 seconds before landing in the waters off the Korean peninsula's east coast, KCNA said.

 

Western experts said calculations based on that flight data and estimates from the U.S., Japanese and South Korean militaries showed the missile could have been capable of going as far into the United States as Denver and Chicago.

 

David Wright of the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists wrote in a blog post that if it had flown on a standard trajectory, the missile would have had a range of 10,400 km (6,500 miles).

 

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a leading Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said she saw the test as "a clear and present danger to the United States."

 

"I think the only solution is a diplomatic one. I'm very disappointed in China's response, that it has not been firmer or more helpful," Feinstein told CBS television's "Face the Nation," urging the administration to begin talks with the North.

 

U.S. intelligence officials assess that even if North Korea does develop a reliable, nuclear-capable ICBM, which some say it remains several steps short of doing, the weapon would be almost useless except to deter the conventional attacks that Kim fears.

 

Intelligence experts have concluded that Kim will not abandon his pursuit of a deliverable nuclear weapon.

 

“Kim is determined to secure international recognition of the North as a nuclear armed state, for the purposes of security, prestige, and political legitimacy,” says the National Intelligence Council’s January Global Trends report.

 

(Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Susan Cornwell, John Walcott and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Sam Holmes and Phil Berlowitz)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-31

[dunroaming]

I am sure that China is enjoying the moment.  A fly past by some US hardware is hardly going to have Kim shaking in his boots.  It is a dangerous to have an unstable man-child with nuclear capabilities and a tendency for knee jerk reactions.  But Kim is pretty unstable too!  

 

It seems today that North Korea has now got the ability to retaliate if the US or any other country attacks them.  The USA obviously has that capability (many times over) too.  Question is who is nuts enough to throw the first punch?  I would say it's a close call.

[champers]

2 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

I am sure that China is enjoying the moment.  A fly past by some US hardware is hardly going to have Kim shaking in his boots.  It is a dangerous to have an unstable man-child with nuclear capabilities and a tendency for knee jerk reactions.  But Kim is pretty unstable too!  

 

It seems today that North Korea has now got the ability to retaliate if the US or any other country attacks them.  The USA obviously has that capability (many times over) too.  Question is who is nuts enough to throw the first punch?  I would say it's a close call.

Whoever it is nobody wins. I hope their are enough sensible people around in the US military to reign in DJT. Mad Dog, perhaps?

[ilostmypassword]

I know that it's a widely held belief that Kim Jong Un is a "mad dog".  But as the article I've linked to makes clear, this is most likely not the case at all. In fact, his policies are very rational with goal of keeping himself and his family in power.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

[dunroaming]

9 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

I know that it's a widely held belief that Kim Jong Un is a "mad dog".  But as the article I've linked to makes clear, this is most likely not the case at all. In fact, his policies are very rational with goal of keeping himself and his family in power.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

Well given his mindset to get rid of various family members who don't toe the line I would say it is more about keeping him in power rather than the family.  In his defence he has said that "IF" attacked he would retaliate and that is why he has strengthened his military power.  Nothing wrong in the principle of that if he can stick to it.  He is clearly baiting Trump who is arguably a less stable character.

[craigt3365]

21 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

I know that it's a widely held belief that Kim Jong Un is a "mad dog".  But as the article I've linked to makes clear, this is most likely not the case at all. In fact, his policies are very rational with goal of keeping himself and his family in power.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

Ummm...isn't this the same guy who executed officials with an anti-aircraft gun?  Mad dog is a polite term for this nut.  But yes, his policies are there just to protect himself, not his country nor his citizens.  Terrible way to behave.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/kim-jong-un-north-korea-execute-officials-death-penalty-anti-aircraft-gun-a7215906.html

 

Quote

 

Kim Jong-un executes two North Korea officials 'using anti-aircraft gun'

Senior official in education ministry arrested for dozing off during meeting before being killed

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Ummm...isn't this the same guy who executed officials with an anti-aircraft gun?  Mad dog is a polite term for this nut.  But yes, his policies are there just to protect himself, not his country nor his citizens.  Terrible way to behave.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/kim-jong-un-north-korea-execute-officials-death-penalty-anti-aircraft-gun-a7215906.html

 

 

When you say someone is mad, that means they don't have a grip on reality. I don't think there's anything Kim has done that established that. Vicious, evil and repugnant, yes. Mad dog, no. Mad dogs don't calculate. I think the author makes a compelling case that Kim is doing just that.

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

When you say someone is mad, that means they don't have a grip on reality. I don't think there's anything Kim has done that established that. Vicious, evil and repugnant, yes. Mad dog, no. Mad dogs don't calculate. I think the author makes a compelling case that Kim is doing just that.

Executing an official for falling asleep in a meeting?  With an anti-aircraft gun?  Come on man, that's pure insanity.  Sick, sick, sick.

[champers]

29 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

I know that it's a widely held belief that Kim Jong Un is a "mad dog".  But as the article I've linked to makes clear, this is most likely not the case at all. In fact, his policies are very rational with goal of keeping himself and his family in power.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

I was referring to US Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis. I see; from Wikipedia; that he is also referred to as "Warrior Monk" and "Chaos" All sound like names for WWE wrestlers. Apologies for my sarcasm before, but I hope more of you can see the point I was clumsily making.

[ilostmypassword]

16 minutes ago, champers said:

I was referring to US Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis. I see; from Wikipedia; that he is also referred to as "Warrior Monk" and "Chaos" All sound like names for WWE wrestlers. Apologies for my sarcasm before, but I hope more of you can see the point I was clumsily making.

No, your point was clear. I was the one who got it wrong. My apologies.

[YetAnother]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the midnight test launch of the missile on Friday night and said it was a "stern warning" for the United States that it would not be safe from destruction if it tries to attack,

i really do not understand that thinking; usa would flash n korea in a heartbeat; heck with china; give  a guy like trump a trigger ......

[dunroaming]

16 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

i really do not understand that thinking; usa would flash n korea in a heartbeat; heck with china; give  a guy like trump a trigger ......

I am afraid the world doesn't work like that.  Let's hope that Trump isn't stupid enough to believe it does.

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

Executing an official for falling asleep in a meeting?  With an anti-aircraft gun?  Come on man, that's pure insanity.  Sick, sick, sick.

He is a vile human being. He is morally a cesspool. But a mad dog he is not. The author maintains he has a strong grip on reality and what it takes to hold on to power in the pitiless environment over which he rules. As for the executions:

"Kim seems to believe that the most reliable coup-prevention technique is terror. His rule has been marked by the unprecedented purges in the military and police. Prominent generals have been disappearing one after another, and some top commanders, including a chief of the general staff, as well as a minister of defense, have been executed."

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

 

And by the way, the author is a member of NK News, which is based in South Korea and closely monitors the activities of the North. And here's a little tidbit which shows that NK News group is hardly a pro North Korean outlet:

"In November 2014, NK News published a series of accusations by the former Associated Press stringer Nate Thayer, suggesting that the AP bureau in Pyongyang had signed secret agreements with the North Korean government that compromised its journalistic independence and integrity.^[17] AP denied the reports, and said that Thayer was merely a disgruntled former employee.^[18]"

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NK_News}

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[iReason]

 

 

[dunroaming]

1 hour ago, iReason said:

 

 

Hard to tweet when you are wearing a straight jacket!

[Jdiddy]

 

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

i really do not understand that thinking; usa would flash n korea in a heartbeat; heck with china; give  a guy like trump a trigger ......

A nuclear armed country or a country with an ace in the hole mutually assured destruction card with severe consequences to the rest of the world like all the arty aimed at Seoul has never been invaded or neutralized.

[thedivezone]

2 hours ago, dunroaming said:

I am afraid the world doesn't work like that.  Let's hope that Trump isn't stupid enough to believe it does.

To credit the Donald with the capability of rational thought is, in my view, making a grave mistake, sorry, but i don't share your hope.

[thedivezone]

4 hours ago, YetAnother said:

i really do not understand that thinking; usa would flash n korea in a heartbeat; heck with china; give  a guy like trump a trigger ......

Don't understand the above post, a guy called Trump has already been given the trigger.

[Andaman Al]

3 hours ago, Jdiddy said:

 

A nuclear armed country or a country with an ace in the hole mutually assured destruction card with severe consequences to the rest of the world like all the arty aimed at Seoul has never been invaded or neutralized.

I guess the thing is though, as alarming as all that arty is, if the US really did decide to strike with just conventional weapons, all that arty would be scrap metal in minutes - just take out the ammo dumps from B1's and 2's and ship launched cruise for everything else. 1 hour and several hundred million later and N Korea would be neutralised. They can put a cruise through a specific window in a building now from 500 miles, have the first one for Kim's bedroom window.

[Morch]

8 hours ago, champers said:

Whoever it is nobody wins. I hope their are enough sensible people around in the US military to reign in DJT. Mad Dog, perhaps?

 

Question is who reins the other guy. Those getting too influential are deemed a threat and given an early retirement plan NK style.

[Morch]

8 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

I know that it's a widely held belief that Kim Jong Un is a "mad dog".  But as the article I've linked to makes clear, this is most likely not the case at all. In fact, his policies are very rational with goal of keeping himself and his family in power.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/26/kim-jong-un-is-a-survivor-not-a-madman/

 

The position of the author could very well be correct. Then again, perhaps someone this obsessed with political survival could be seen as unhinged, albeit in a different way.

[Morch]

7 hours ago, champers said:

I was referring to US Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis. I see; from Wikipedia; that he is also referred to as "Warrior Monk" and "Chaos" All sound like names for WWE wrestlers. Apologies for my sarcasm before, but I hope more of you can see the point I was clumsily making.

 

Here's another....

 

[craigt3365]

11 hours ago, thedivezone said:

Don't understand the above post, a guy called Trump has already been given the trigger.

But it takes 2 to pull the trigger, right?  Hopefully, one will be rational enough to not do it!

[craigt3365]

8 hours ago, Morch said:

 

The position of the author could very well be correct. Then again, perhaps someone this obsessed with political survival could be seen as unhinged, albeit in a different way.

That article basically says the Kim is ruthless and will do anything to survive, to the detriment of NK's citizens.  If Kim isn't mad, then why would he kill a high ranking state official with an anti-aircraft gun just for falling asleep in a meeting.  That's the definition of insane.

[ilostmypassword]

8 hours ago, Morch said:

 

The position of the author could very well be correct. Then again, perhaps someone this obsessed with political survival could be seen as unhinged, albeit in a different way.

A sociopath and a sadist sure. But suicidal, not.

[Morch]

47 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

That article basically says the Kim is ruthless and will do anything to survive, to the detriment of NK's citizens.  If Kim isn't mad, then why would he kill a high ranking state official with an anti-aircraft gun just for falling asleep in a meeting.  That's the definition of insane.

 

Could be a calculated move aimed at enhancing a projected image, while terrorizing his underlings to keep them in line. Extreme for sure, but not conclusive evidence of insanity.

 

44 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

A sociopath and a sadist sure. But suicidal, not.

Don't know that there was anything said about "suicidal". Quite the opposite, even. But people who are obsessed with something may find giving it up a straw to the camel's back.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, Morch said:

 

Don't know that there was anything said about "suicidal". Quite the opposite, even. But people who are obsessed with something may find giving it up a straw to the camel's back.

I agree with you.

[Stargeezr]

Oh that's right the NK leader gets his family members killed off because he is worried

about his  exalted position,  but there are still people who think he is not crazy, how nice.

  Trump has not been proven as crazy .... yet.  But stay posted as he has not been in power

for a year.  Meanwhile the NK leader got his job from beloved daddy..

Geezer

[tonray]

10 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

I guess the thing is though, as alarming as all that arty is, if the US really did decide to strike with just conventional weapons, all that arty would be scrap metal in minutes - just take out the ammo dumps from B1's and 2's and ship launched cruise for everything else. 1 hour and several hundred million later and N Korea would be neutralised. They can put a cruise through a specific window in a building now from 500 miles, have the first one for Kim's bedroom window.

Not sure it's that simple...just maybe there are some more complications in that plan that might arise. Just perhaps.

Edited August 1, 2017 by tonray

[Andaman Al]

8 minutes ago, tonray said:

Not sure it's that simple...just maybe there are some more complications in that plan that might arise. Just perhaps.

Yes, you are correct. I guess a matter of 1.5 million brain washed North Korean killing machines using tunnels to get into the South would ruin the party. Analysts do predict it would be a war with huge casualties as it would be weeks before the US could get sufficient heavy armour and troops on the ground if it were Kim that kicked it all off. Preparation and a pre-emptive strike would be the only way on the Wests part, but there could then be no turning back. I am unsure how it would go.Personally I do not believe Iran would have posed a nuclear threat but with North Korea it does seem that the clock is ticking to a few minutes before midnight.