In July, North Korea launched two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles in defiance of the United States and the rest of the international community. This test is a big step forward for North Korea regarding its goal of developing its nuclear program.
The missiles that were launched demonstrate that North Korea is capable of hitting Hawaii, Alaska and the mainland United States with a nuclear warhead – meaning the communist regime poses a direct and immediate threat to national security.
Although North Korea has been threatening to develop a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the United States for years now, it has not shown that it has the technology to do so. However, the country has been quickly advancing its missile program, and this last series of tests demonstrate that the country is close to its goal. In fact, some experts believe that this latest missile test shows that North Korea can reach Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles with an intercontinental ballistic missile. Their weapons may even be able to reach as far as Boston and New York.
Previous presidents from Obama to Clinton all tried various ways of dealing with North Korea, including ignoring Pyongyang’s threats and labeling the country as a sponsor of terror. However, none of these tactics have worked. North Korea has continued its missile and nuclear programs in spite of receiving international condemnation every time tests took place.
In the past, the U.S. has tried to leverage its trade status with China to pressure them into reining their neighboring ally. However, that has not worked so far. While China has the power to inflict damage to North Korea’s nuclear missile programs—as 90 percent of North Korea’s trade flows through China—the hermit kingdom’s ally has done little to curb the reclusive country’s mission. Trump has vocalized being disappointed that past leaders have allowed China to continue to make money off trade with the United States while China does nothing to stop North Korea’s nuclear mission.
The United States policy towards North Korea has not adequately managed the threat that the country poses. Now, we see the consequences of that.
Politicians and other leaders say that something different must be done about North Korea’s mission to develop a robust nuclear program. The problem is that North Korea is not likely to agree to denuclearize in exchange for economic or political concessions from the United States.
Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the UN, said that the time for talk is over—that China must decide on taking action against North Korea in the wake of its latest ICBM launch. She stated that the United States is not seeking a Security Council emergency session on the matter, because the United States is done talking about North Korea. She says that China must decide if it will take action. She believes that increasing international pressure on North Korea is of little value.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that the United States and Japan have agreed that the two countries need to take further action on North Korea. If China does not respond to the United States demands that it do something about North Korea, then the U.S. has several options, inducing restricting the flow of oil to North Korean, imposing even more sanctions on senior official and increasing maritime and air restrictions.
The United States has already taken some action on the matter. In response to the most recent missile launch by North Korea, the United States Pacific Air Forces joined Japanese and South Korean air forces for military training exercises. Two United States bombers joined fighter jets from the other two nations in a show of force against North Korea.
According to the top United States military officials, the mission was designed to demonstrate the ironclad commitment that the United States has made with its allies—South Korea and Japan. These tests show that the United States and its allies have the ability and will respond quickly to any regional threat.
Japan and South Korea face the biggest threat from North Korea. South Korea’s capital of Seoul, which has a population of more than 10 million people, is well within North Korea’s striking range and Japan has been within North Korea’s range for decades.
Unfortunately, even these measures may not be enough. The White House must begin serious wargaming if it ever hopes to contain the North Korean threat.
~ Conservative Zone
