Threat from the DPRK (North Korea)

[Warren Dew]

(09-30-2017, 08:41 AM)Mikebert Wrote: Don't you think that if it were possible to take out Iraq's nuclear and biological WMD programs from the air, were would have directed some of those 100,000 sorties to do just that?

Again you incorrectly conflate nuclear weapons with "WMD" in general.  Biological weapon production can happen in a very limited space with little more industrial support than a refrigerator.

And since both you and I agree that WMD weren't the driving force for the Iraq war in the first place, it's irrelevant anyway.

Quote:

Quote:chemical weapon production facilities are far easier to hide than nuclear weapon production facilities

This is really only true for facilities for the production of fissile material. The actual weapons can be assembled elsewhere in facilities that are not distinguishable from any other kind of manufacturing/industrial facility. Same is true of chemical or biological weapons. 

Furthermore, WMDs can be placed on shorter range missiles that employ mobile launchers, which would remain hidden (and not "strike-able") until their location is revealed by a launch.

So what would your "strike" accomplish?  Well you could blow up their nuclear reactors and known R&D facilities, taking out their ability to make more fissile material and killing some of NK's scientists. You would leave in place facilities that could make nuclear weapons out of existing stockpiles of fissile material and possibly bioweapons (weaponized anthrax is not that hard to make). More importantly you would initiate a hot war while leaving their existing weapons intact. Then what?

The strike would limit North Korea's nuclear capability to a small number of weapons with no replacements.  The prevents their ever acquiring counterforce capabilities, and leaves them with very limited deterrent capabilities against large nuclear powers like the US.  It also greatly reduces the likelihood of their selling nuclear warheads to terrorists for foreign exchange, and of course limits the number that could be so sold.

If we leave their production capabilities in place, in contrast, they'll likely be a nuclear power on par with the US and Russia within five or ten years.