Report: Nuclear North Korea successfully tests a submarine-launched missile: Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic...

JMHO Loc: Utah

Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile. That announcement was accompanied with a series of photographs of the launch, and Kim Jong-un beaming into the camera as he reflected on his countrys achievement. Its never wise to give the North Koreans any more credibility than they deserve. While there has not yet been independent confirmation of the launch, no American officials or members of the intelligence community have called the veracity of the DPRKs claim into question either.

The test launch represents a violation of United Nations sanctions banning North Korea from developing and using advanced ballistic missile technology, but so does Pyongyangs decision to manufacture and test at least three fissionable devices. It should be clear to anyone but a diplomat that the 12-year-long on-again, off-again diplomatic process aimed at preventing North Korea from becoming a significant nuclear power has failed.

As of 2013, officials estimated that Pyongyang possesses enough weapons-grade plutonium for between six and 10 bombs. On at least three occasions, the secretive communist country has conducted underground nuclear tests. It remains, however, unclear whether those were plutonium or uranium devices, the latter being more difficult to produce.

The North Korean nuclear threat is a serious one to the DPRKs neighbors. In April, the head of U.S. Northern Command, Admiral William Gortney, told Congress that he believes the North Koreans have the ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon in order to mount it atop a ballistic missile.

Gortney said in congressional testimony last month that the KN-08s mobility will complicate our ability to provide warning and defense against an attack, Bloomberg reported. On Tuesday, he said that if North Korea were to fire a missile at the U.S., I am confident we can knock it down.

But its almost impossible to intercept a ballistic missile after the nuclear delivery vehicle has left the boost phase. If North Korea were to park a submarine armed with a nuclear-tipped SLBM a hundred miles off the California coast, it would be infinitely harder for Americas continental anti-ballistic missile installations to intercept that threat. The prospect of a North Korean SLBM stockpile would also ensure that Pyongyang maintains retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities in the event of an American attack of any kind, virtually guaranteeing U.S. paralysis in the event that hostilities broke out again on the Korean Peninsula.

So, here is the nightmare scenario. If at some point in the near future, and its a big if, North Korea has managed to develop enough nuclear weapons, miniaturized warheads, and SLBMs to satisfy American skeptics that the DPRK has a modest but effective arsenal of deliverable nuclear weapons, it would not take much effort to hold the United States hostage.

In the event of a new crisis in relations with North Korea an outcome that occurs with metronomic regularity whenever the starving criminal state needs a fresh infusion of American capital the DPRK might find that U.S. pockets will again loosen if it puts a gun to Americas head in the form of a nuclear-armed submarine somewhere off the West Coast. American officials would try to soothe the frayed nerves of frightened Pacific Coast residents, but it would be hollow rhetoric. There would be almost nothing Washington could do to prevent North Korea from launching a nuclear warhead at a major metropolitan area save for threatening a massive retaliatory response; a threat that is already explicit, as it serves as the foundational doctrine of American nuclear deterrence strategy. In this scenario, the U.S. could only react to and not prevent a North Korean nuclear attack.

Though U.S. officials would surely try to save face, in the end there would be concessions to North Korea in the form of renewed diplomatic engagement with likely financial incentives. This successful nuclear brinkmanship on the DPRKs part would embolden other international bad actors to join the nuclear club if only to blackmail the U.S. or other regional actors in a similar way.

It is too late to prevent the DPRK from serving as the foremost exporter of nuclear technology to the globes worst actors, but there is still time to prevent a much more volatile region of the world the Middle East from rolling the atomic dice. Unfortunately for future generations, todays Western leaders do not seem predisposed to do the hard work of preventing a nuclear arms race in the Arab world.

emarine

JMHO wrote:

Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile. That announcement was accompanied with a series of photographs of the launch, and Kim Jong-un beaming into the camera as he reflected on his countrys achievement. Its never wise to give the North Koreans any more credibility than they deserve. While there has not yet been independent confirmation of the launch, no American officials or members of the intelligence community have called the veracity of the DPRKs claim into question either.

The test launch represents a violation of United Nations sanctions banning North Korea from developing and using advanced ballistic missile technology, but so does Pyongyangs decision to manufacture and test at least three fissionable devices. It should be clear to anyone but a diplomat that the 12-year-long on-again, off-again diplomatic process aimed at preventing North Korea from becoming a significant nuclear power has failed.

As of 2013, officials estimated that Pyongyang possesses enough weapons-grade plutonium for between six and 10 bombs. On at least three occasions, the secretive communist country has conducted underground nuclear tests. It remains, however, unclear whether those were plutonium or uranium devices, the latter being more difficult to produce.

The North Korean nuclear threat is a serious one to the DPRKs neighbors. In April, the head of U.S. Northern Command, Admiral William Gortney, told Congress that he believes the North Koreans have the ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon in order to mount it atop a ballistic missile.

Gortney said in congressional testimony last month that the KN-08s mobility will complicate our ability to provide warning and defense against an attack, Bloomberg reported. On Tuesday, he said that if North Korea were to fire a missile at the U.S., I am confident we can knock it down.

But its almost impossible to intercept a ballistic missile after the nuclear delivery vehicle has left the boost phase. If North Korea were to park a submarine armed with a nuclear-tipped SLBM a hundred miles off the California coast, it would be infinitely harder for Americas continental anti-ballistic missile installations to intercept that threat. The prospect of a North Korean SLBM stockpile would also ensure that Pyongyang maintains retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities in the event of an American attack of any kind, virtually guaranteeing U.S. paralysis in the event that hostilities broke out again on the Korean Peninsula.

So, here is the nightmare scenario. If at some point in the near future, and its a big if, North Korea has managed to develop enough nuclear weapons, miniaturized warheads, and SLBMs to satisfy American skeptics that the DPRK has a modest but effective arsenal of deliverable nuclear weapons, it would not take much effort to hold the United States hostage.

In the event of a new crisis in relations with North Korea an outcome that occurs with metronomic regularity whenever the starving criminal state needs a fresh infusion of American capital the DPRK might find that U.S. pockets will again loosen if it puts a gun to Americas head in the form of a nuclear-armed submarine somewhere off the West Coast. American officials would try to soothe the frayed nerves of frightened Pacific Coast residents, but it would be hollow rhetoric. There would be almost nothing Washington could do to prevent North Korea from launching a nuclear warhead at a major metropolitan area save for threatening a massive retaliatory response; a threat that is already explicit, as it serves as the foundational doctrine of American nuclear deterrence strategy. In this scenario, the U.S. could only react to and not prevent a North Korean nuclear attack.

Though U.S. officials would surely try to save face, in the end there would be concessions to North Korea in the form of renewed diplomatic engagement with likely financial incentives. This successful nuclear brinkmanship on the DPRKs part would embolden other international bad actors to join the nuclear club if only to blackmail the U.S. or other regional actors in a similar way.

It is too late to prevent the DPRK from serving as the foremost exporter of nuclear technology to the globes worst actors, but there is still time to prevent a much more volatile region of the world the Middle East from rolling the atomic dice. Unfortunately for future generations, todays Western leaders do not seem predisposed to do the hard work of preventing a nuclear arms race in the Arab world.

Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it ha... (show quote)

If anyone knows.. you should.... how much training it would take for N Korea to park a sub off our coast without us finding out.... last I heard it was like 5 years before they had a sub.. unless they purchased one from Russia and were Russia trained I wouldn't lose any sleep,

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

JMHO wrote:

Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile. That announcement was accompanied with a series of photographs of the launch, and Kim Jong-un beaming into the camera as he reflected on his countrys achievement. Its never wise to give the North Koreans any more credibility than they deserve. While there has not yet been independent confirmation of the launch, no American officials or members of the intelligence community have called the veracity of the DPRKs claim into question either.

The test launch represents a violation of United Nations sanctions banning North Korea from developing and using advanced ballistic missile technology, but so does Pyongyangs decision to manufacture and test at least three fissionable devices. It should be clear to anyone but a diplomat that the 12-year-long on-again, off-again diplomatic process aimed at preventing North Korea from becoming a significant nuclear power has failed.

As of 2013, officials estimated that Pyongyang possesses enough weapons-grade plutonium for between six and 10 bombs. On at least three occasions, the secretive communist country has conducted underground nuclear tests. It remains, however, unclear whether those were plutonium or uranium devices, the latter being more difficult to produce.

The North Korean nuclear threat is a serious one to the DPRKs neighbors. In April, the head of U.S. Northern Command, Admiral William Gortney, told Congress that he believes the North Koreans have the ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon in order to mount it atop a ballistic missile.

Gortney said in congressional testimony last month that the KN-08s mobility will complicate our ability to provide warning and defense against an attack, Bloomberg reported. On Tuesday, he said that if North Korea were to fire a missile at the U.S., I am confident we can knock it down.

But its almost impossible to intercept a ballistic missile after the nuclear delivery vehicle has left the boost phase. If North Korea were to park a submarine armed with a nuclear-tipped SLBM a hundred miles off the California coast, it would be infinitely harder for Americas continental anti-ballistic missile installations to intercept that threat. The prospect of a North Korean SLBM stockpile would also ensure that Pyongyang maintains retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities in the event of an American attack of any kind, virtually guaranteeing U.S. paralysis in the event that hostilities broke out again on the Korean Peninsula.

So, here is the nightmare scenario. If at some point in the near future, and its a big if, North Korea has managed to develop enough nuclear weapons, miniaturized warheads, and SLBMs to satisfy American skeptics that the DPRK has a modest but effective arsenal of deliverable nuclear weapons, it would not take much effort to hold the United States hostage.

In the event of a new crisis in relations with North Korea an outcome that occurs with metronomic regularity whenever the starving criminal state needs a fresh infusion of American capital the DPRK might find that U.S. pockets will again loosen if it puts a gun to Americas head in the form of a nuclear-armed submarine somewhere off the West Coast. American officials would try to soothe the frayed nerves of frightened Pacific Coast residents, but it would be hollow rhetoric. There would be almost nothing Washington could do to prevent North Korea from launching a nuclear warhead at a major metropolitan area save for threatening a massive retaliatory response; a threat that is already explicit, as it serves as the foundational doctrine of American nuclear deterrence strategy. In this scenario, the U.S. could only react to and not prevent a North Korean nuclear attack.

Though U.S. officials would surely try to save face, in the end there would be concessions to North Korea in the form of renewed diplomatic engagement with likely financial incentives. This successful nuclear brinkmanship on the DPRKs part would embolden other international bad actors to join the nuclear club if only to blackmail the U.S. or other regional actors in a similar way.

It is too late to prevent the DPRK from serving as the foremost exporter of nuclear technology to the globes worst actors, but there is still time to prevent a much more volatile region of the world the Middle East from rolling the atomic dice. Unfortunately for future generations, todays Western leaders do not seem predisposed to do the hard work of preventing a nuclear arms race in the Arab world.

Over the weekend, North Korea announced that it ha... (show quote)

It seems to me that we invaded Iraq for far less reason. I cannot figure out what angle the folks in DC have for allowing this to continue. It seems those folk are strangely silent about N. Korea. I'm beginning to believe that they already have nuclear bomb capability, which is the only reason I can think of to "not provoke" them.

JMHO Loc: Utah

emarine wrote:

If anyone knows.. you should.... how much training it would take for N Korea to park a sub off our coast without us finding out.... last I heard it was like 5 years before they had a sub.. unless they purchased one from Russia and were Russia trained I wouldn't lose any sleep,

NKorea has 70 submarines: approximately 20 Romeo class submarines (1,800 tons), 40 Sang-O-class submarines (300 tons) and 10 midget submarines including the Yono-class submarine (130 tons).

Yep, you can sleep now, put head back in the sand (or somewhere else the sun doesn't shine) and go back to sleep. They may not be sub-capable for five years, but nothing keeps them from exporting the technology and equipment to some country like Iran. But, hey, you say no problem, nothing to worry about, so why worry....blah, blah, blah....

emarine

JMHO wrote:

NKorea has 70 submarines: approximately 20 Romeo c... (show quote)

I guess you think that since you retired your Naval gig the men and women of our Navy are not proficient in dealing with N Korea or Iran or anyone's submarine fleet on this planet for that matter.... I disagree... This came out a few days ago... sleep well....http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-sub-missile-claim-looks-bluff-094818760.html

JMHO Loc: Utah

emarine wrote:

I guess you think that since you retired your Naval gig the men and women of our Navy are not proficient in dealing with N Korea or Iran or anyone's submarine fleet on this planet for that matter.... I disagree... This came out a few days ago... sleep well....http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-sub-missile-claim-looks-bluff-094818760.html

Did I say that? What I am saying is when you relax the standards, readiness and capability goes down. BTW, have you ever served on a submarine? I have, pal.

The military has already admitted to the fact that we can no longer fight two wars simultaneously. Sleep well, pal.

norte

Once again, the essential antecedents of war are being established based on anonymous “experts” and “officials,” and hardly anyone notices, much less pushes back.

Ricko Loc: Florida

JMHO wrote:

Did I say that? What I am saying is when you relax the standards, readiness and capability goes down. BTW, have you ever served on a submarine? I have, pal.

The military has already admitted to the fact that we can no longer fight two wars simultaneously. Sleep well, pal.

JMHO-you are correct in that we are militarily depleted to the point that we could not simultaneously engage both
Iran and NK. Not a good position to be in. Should we wait until NK gets the ICBM and Iran gets the nukes ??
Not an easy call to make as neither option is attractive. America First !!!

emarine

JMHO wrote:

NKorea has 70 submarines: approximately 20 Romeo c... (show quote)

Depends on what you consider a sub... http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-tours-north-koreas-prize-submarine-a-rusty-ship-the-soviet-union-declared-obsolete-in-1961 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang-O-class_submarine

norte

The US says North Korea is evil because they use torture, but the US also tortures.

The US says Russia is evil because they invade foreign countries, but the US also invades foreign countries.

The US says Iran is evil because they might develop nuclear weapons, but the US also develops nuclear bombs.

Bankrupt, warmongering police states that have security cameras, license plate readers, checkpoints, redlight cameras, speed cameras, FBI facial and voice recognition, curfews, gun bans, NSA wiretapping, the end to the right to silence, free speech bans, searches without warrants, private prisons, mandatory minimums, 3 strikes laws, DNA databases, CISPA, SOPA, NDAA, IMBRA, private prison quotas, no knock raids, take down notices, no fly lists, terror watch lists, Constitution free zones, stop and frisk, 3 strikes laws, kill switches, National Security Letters, DNA databases, kill lists, FBAR, FATCA, Operation Chokepoint, TSA groping, civil forfeiture, CIA torture, NDAA indefinite detention, secret FISA courts, FEMA camps, laws requiring passports for domestic travel, IRS laws denying passports for tax debts, gun and ammo stockpiles, laws outlawing protesting, police militarization, and Jade Helm can't take the moral high ground on anything.

Rivers

norte wrote:

The US says North Korea is evil because they use t... (show quote)

Go crawl back under your rock....anarchist puke.

Rivers

emarine wrote:

Depends on what you consider a sub... http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-tours-north-koreas-prize-submarine-a-rusty-ship-the-soviet-union-declared-obsolete-in-1961 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang-O-class_submarine

Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_North_Korean_ships and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang-O-class_submarine

Remember, they successfully launched a missile from a submarine awhile back.

norte

Most people would prefer to ignore a hard fact rather than face it.

Rivers

norte wrote:

Most people would prefer to ignore a hard fact rather than face it.

You wouldn't know a hard fact if it hit you between the eyes....you anarchist POS.

norte

There never was a good war or a bad peace.