United States and South Korea Begin Massive Military Exercises

United States and South Korea Begin Massive Military Exercises

Md. Lutful Huda

Md. Lutful Huda

1. The United States and South Korea launched a massive Joint Military Exercise amid increased tensions with North Korea over its Nuclear Program and recent ballistic missile tests. The five-day exercise includes some 12,000 military personnel and 230 aircraft including six F-22 and 18 x F-35s. South Korean media said B-1 bombers would also participate in the exercise. News reports from Seoul, 'These exercises come just a week after North Korea tested what analysts believe is its most powerful missile yet, one that has the capability of reaching much of the continental US. The drills were planned before the missile test. But exercises on the peninsula often draw the ire of North Korea, which views these drills as provocations.'

Md. Lutful Huda

2. Earlier, Pyongyang had said of the exercise, in its third year, would bring the Korean peninsula to the brink of war. The Military Times writes, that the exercise, which runs through Friday will include enemy infiltration and precision strike drills with South Korean jets across eight military installations. The newspaper quotes an Air Force spokesman who said "the exercise is designed to ensure interoperability between Republic of Korea and U.S. airmen, as well as to build readiness to defend the Republic of Korea from a North Korean attack. It is not, however, a direct response to any North Korean provocation."

Md. Lutful Huda

3. North Korea launched a new ICBM known as the Hwasong-15 with an improved range that could in theory allow it to reach the whole of the continental United States. However, some analysts have pointed out that in the event the missile were paired with a nuclear payload, the weight of a warhead would significantly reduce its range. News reports - "The North previously conducted two tests of an ICBM called the Hwasong-14 in July. In addition to appearing to be far larger than that missile, the Hwasong-15 also looks like it has more powerful engines, an aerospace engr and analysts says. He also believes the North has learned how to 'gimbal' the thrust chambers on the bottom of the engine — an advanced way to steer the missile that North Korea has never used before.

Md. Lutful Huda

4. National security adviser H.R. McMaster, speaking in an interview said it was in the best interest of both China and Russia to help contain Pyongyang, but that the U.S. was prepared to go it alone. Some 28,000 US military personnel are stationed in South Korea, many with their spouses and children. It is crazy to have spouses and children potentially in harm's way. "I want, the Pentagon, to stop sending dependents and I think it's now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea," Graham says.

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Prepared by Major (R) Md. Lutful Huda, presently Chairman of TIDAC and Dreamwork Limited, Chief Editor of 'Crime and Judgement' Magazine