Hagel: US will be moving missile defense batteries to US bases in Guam

[dixiegrrrrl]

(an American territory southeast of Korea).
a signal that the Pentagon doesn't believe the threat of a possible North Korean attack is likely to fade quickly.
A senior administration official said the U.S. will deploy the system, known as a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery, or THAAD, to Guam to protect against short- and medium-range missiles from North Korea.

Hagel:North Korea "poses a 'real, clear danger' to US Allies."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-03/hagel-deploys-missile-defense-system-amid-real-clear-danger-north-korea

[TwilightGardener]

1. I'm glad they're taking such steps, but it's a little unnerving.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Steps that N.Korea can label as "provocation", I fear.

Things are ramping up.....sheesh.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Well, missile defense in Guam isn't provocation. Neither is responding to threats

with increased military activity--any rational country would move to protect itself and allies. If we ignored NK, and they didn't think anyone was taking them seriously, they might do something...to FORCE us to take them seriously. They seem especially unhinged right now.

[Gravitycollapse]

8. Scholars on NK do not believe that the threats are credible.

This is domestic policy by the NK government to shore up internal support.

[TwilightGardener]

13. No, they're after something--easing of sanctions at the very least. They timed their nuke test

in February right before the annual exercises, and are using the exercises to throw a shit fit--they want their cake (nukes) and to eat it, too (no sanctions, deals, $$$). Only problem is, if we're wrong and they really do mean to reunify the Koreas and kill Americans. Can't take any chances. Imagine if Obama did nothing all this time and a missile starts flying to Seoul or elsewhere.

[Gravitycollapse]

16. South Korea is perfectly capable of fending off anything NK dishes out.

[TwilightGardener]

19. To a point. But our troops will be alongside them, and we have more stuff.

They don't have nuclear weapons for deterrence the way Israel does--WE are the deterrence for them.

[Gravitycollapse]

21. No. Just, no. South Korea has extreme deterrence capacity.

You don't seem to understand the facts or history of this situation.

[TwilightGardener]

24. SK has nuclear weaponry? News to me.

[Gravitycollapse]

26. You really honestly believe nuclear weapons are needed to wage effective combat?

[TwilightGardener]

29. Deterrence against a nuclear power. SK isn't a nuclear power, but NK is.

Not talking about conventional warfare--though there's a fear that NK could start something conventionally and then deploy something nuclear when we/SK retaliate, "in self defense".

[Gravitycollapse]

33. Having enough fissile/fission material to make a bomb does not mean NK is a nuclear power.

Or that it could use nuclear weapons in combat.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. "Well, missile defense in Guam isn't provocation.".....to you and me.

But to the round guy in N. Korea, doing nothing or doing something seems to have the same effect.

[TwilightGardener]

12. I believe reports that suggest he'd trying to strengthen his position and get

the military on his side--he's also got relatives kind of running the show. I think they've decided that conventional warfare is a no-go, but nukes are their ticket to glory. Not necessarily striking us, hopefully, but a great thing for leverage. I don't believe THEY believe we're going to attack them--people who feed you and make aid deals with you aren't going to suddenly turn around and kill you.

[Posteritatis]

27. North Korea labels other countries' existence as a provocation. (nt)

[TwilightGardener]

30. They don't even need provocation. They attack without it.

[Gravitycollapse]

2. South Korea, China and Japan should be taking care of this. Not us.

[TwilightGardener]

5. We are obligated to help defend SK, we have troops there and in Okinawa and Guam.

There is no way to stay out of it.

[Gravitycollapse]

6. If they attack, we can help defend. We should not be deploying weaponry preemptively.

We have bigger fish to fry. And, needless to say, our allies are plenty prepared to fight off an NK attack without our help.

[TwilightGardener]

14. This is the biggest fish to fry right now. Defense against attack of our land, troops, or allies is

100% our business and deserves our attention and a military response. NK doesn't bluff sometimes--they have attacked several times. But SK has changed the rules of engagement, and so anything that starts will snowball. Plus, the US was a little freaked out by their long range missile launch. They can hit at least some of our land.

[Gravitycollapse]

17. This is only the biggest fish if you want to beat the war drum. Is that what you're doing?

[TwilightGardener]

18. Uh...yeah, that's what I'm doing. I really enjoy the thought of my husband being called back

to active duty to serve in whatever fiasco ensues if some shit happens. He made it through the other two wars without incident, so maybe a third one is what we need.

[Gravitycollapse]

20. I just want to let you know that your rhetoric is indicative of a call to arms.

You are supporting active escalation of tensions.

[TwilightGardener]

22. Well, no, I support a de-escalation of tensions. I support NK realizing their bullshit

isn't working this time, and they'll be flattened if they try anything.

[Gravitycollapse]

23. Moving missile sites closer to North Korea is an escalation.

This very closely follows the theories put forth in the Correlates of War.

[Marrah_G]

7. I'd like to see them put some additional resources into checking cargo containers, etc

Frankly, if they have nukes....I would worry about other means of delivery other then missiles....which they haven't had a ton of success with.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Things are accelerating it seems

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. From CNN regarding Kaesong

@KyungLahCNN: South Korean workers are waiting at the transit gate awaiting permission from the #DPRK to enter #Kaesong. It hasn't come yet. #cnn

[MadHound]

15. Trying to work us into another war,

This is a foolish response on our part. Instead of trying to intimidate, we should ignore the idiots. N. Korea rattling its saber, as regular as the spring robin.

[HereSince1628]

25. It's been talk of 'pivoting' to SE Asia for most of a year...

Is Kim doing us a favor giving us cover to move assets to the western pacific??

[L0oniX]

31. Which corporation makes those missles? I'm looking to invest in some stocks.

[Douglas Carpenter]

32. I think this is all my fault.In 1986 I went to the Middle East - all hell broke lose. I left there

in 2011 - and relatively speaking things have calmed down. In 2011 I came here to the Northern Mariana Islands - just a hundred miles or so north of Guam. Things were perfectly peaceful and tranquil and there wasn't the slightest hint of conflict in the area. Now this is happening. I guess I must be upsetting people somehow.

Actually, North Korea's threat is a threat to commit suicide and cause a lot of damage in the process. Nuclear capabilities aside - with close to two million troops and enormous amounts of artillery and short range missiles just north of Seoul - they could within minutes kill at least hundreds of thousands of South Koreans and level much of South Korea's energy, transport and industrial infrastructure. The collapse of the regime in the North would almost certainly mean millions of starving NK refugees trying to get into the South. This alone would completely wreck the economy of the South for a long time to come.

Their real missile capabilities in regards to Guam, Japan or certainly the U.S. mainland are pretty limited and uncertain. It would seem that all of this recent talk is crazy bravado. But knowing just how crazy their domestic propaganda is in North Korea - one can wonder if it is possible if the North Korean leader might actually believe their own propaganda? Expert opinion for the most part thinks this is bravado cooked up primarily for domestic consumption. But the language has gotten so extreme - we cannot help but wonder if North Korea has become something akin to the David Koresh Waco, Texas or Jim Jones, Jonestown cult - only one with 22 million followers - the fourth largest army in the world - hundreds of thousands of artillery pieces and short range missiles armed and pointed at the nearest city and nuclear weapons on top of all of that. Well if that is where they are coming from we are in trouble. But expert opinion for the most part does not think so - at least so far.