There is a deeper admiration of our forces in Korea and subtle relief of human emotion to fly out of the Peninsula, “the Pen,” looking directly into North Korea with awareness of the overmatch situation, the transition of a unpredictable new American president, our current president that is tolerable of aggressive North Korean actions, a close to populous revolt against Republic of Korea (ROK) President Park Geun-hye (Link to article from the Japan Times) who is a hard liner against North Korea, a upcoming deployment of the THAAD into ROK next year and a immature North Korean leader poised to take action in form of nuclear and or ballistic missile testing to best posture his survival with President Donald Trump and calculus upon the ROK president situation. Clearly apparent is the nexus of ambiguity of instability between now and next year when President Trump definitive power is exercised.
With over three dozen ballistic missile tests and two nuclear tests this year alone, backed up with North Korea’s overmatch in artillery and missile reality and this impending nexus, North Korea has to be recognized as the number one threat to the world, to the United States, to the ROK, to Japan and to the region. No other regions, no other combatant commands area of responsibility (AOR), no other demand for missile defense capabilities are in this type of dire nuclear situation over the next immediate nine months. With a global ballistic missile defense response force, an inventory of additional capability in interceptors and systems all retained by the Department of Defense in the continental United States, stockpiling needed capability increases risk and accelerates existing strain on the current ballistic missile defense capability on the Pen to provide stability and empowerment of air supremacy to defend, defeat and deter North Korea.
To win, to sustain stability and preserve peace, we have to deny North Korea from confidence in taking out U.S. combat power generation in theater to put our offense on the field of play that enables decisive game changing operations to destroy and defeat North Korea’s force structure and regime. Deploying highly reliable and effective ballistic missile defense capability in quantity in Korea changes the calculus of North Korea by deterrence and preservation of U.S. options for more battle space in strategic decision making of its commanders.
Link to White Paper covering missile defense solutions in South Korea.
Being overmatched by North Korean ballistic missiles that are or close to being nuclear capable puts their offense on the field all the times, reduces deterrence, increases instability, denies U.S. offensive decisive power projection from the region, takes away battle space for strategic decision making and holds hostage the ROK, Japan and the United States to the demands of North Korea.
No time is more important than now when North Korea is seeking to take advantage of this nexus to deescalate their ambition and raise their threshold of calculus with more capable ballistic missile defenses that will enable decisive victory over their regime.
It takes great leadership and courage to lead by making the right decisions at the right time for the right reasons under extreme pressure.
