Intelligence sources in China report that KIm Jong-un, the new 26 year old leader or North Korea is deliberately seeking to destabilize the North and South Korean Peninsula in order to “consolidate his power”. North Korean expert Zang Liangui says that Kim Jong-un wants to mobilize his military power in preparation for a future event. South Korean president Lee Myung-bak conducted an emergency session with his leadership and promised to “respond sternly” to the aggression by North Korea.
With the advent of North Korea’s Nuclear capabilities this brings an entirely new light on the intentions of the new regime by the son of the former North Korean leadership. Recently North Korea revealed to U.S. Scientists an new Uranium enrichment plant that was not previously known by the U.S. Scientist were “stunned by sophistication of the new plant”. This will bring North Korea to the capacity of 2,000 centrifuges that can be used to manufacture plutonium based nuclear weapons. In the last five years North Korea has already constructed at least eight and up to twelve nuclear weapons.
Since the late 1950′s the United States has been committed to support South Korea by the placement of over 29,000 troops on the ground in South Korea. The Unites States currently has a little over 2.5 million active and reserve military personnel, North Korea has about 9.5 active and reserve soldiers.
On November 24th President Barak Obama dispatched the USS George Washington Air Craft Carrier from it’s current location in Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan to take part in the new military drills with South Korea. “The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with our close friend and ally,” Obama told South Korean leader Lee Myung-bak, according to a White House statement. North Korea must stop its “provocative actions, which will only lead to further isolation.”
South Korea is on it’s second highest level of alert since four people were killed and 20 wounded by North Korea’s firing of about 170 artillery shells upon an island maintained by South Korea. Officials said Tuesday’s conflict came after Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills near the small South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into the water near the disputed sea border, the North bombarded Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations and a small civilian population.
It appears that there will be a marked increase in aggression by the new North Korean leadership that could lead to a nuclear exchange between the two sides of the peninsula of Korea. If the aggression produces a nuclear response, most certainly the United States would be drawn into a regional nuclear exchange. The U.S. aircraft carrier strike force headed by the USS George Washington, carries about 90 F/A-18-F Super Hornets and F/A-18-C Hornet warplanes and a crew of over 6,000.
George Washington is a Nimiz Class Supercarrier that is one of ten nuclear powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States navy that is equipped with two Westinghouse nuclear reactors providing the propulsion it needs for speed.. At just over 1, 092 feet and 100,000 tons of displacement Washington is amongst the largest capital ships in the world. In addition to the aircraft carried on board, the ships carry defensive equipment for direct use against missiles and hostile aircraft. These consist of either three or four NATO RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile launchers, designed for defense against aircraft and anti-ship missiles as well as either three or four 20 mmPhalanx CIWS missile defense cannons.
George Washington does carry nuclear weapons on board. These carriers were designed and built to have the capacity to actually launch nuclear weapons. Some of these weapons are in the form of tactical missiles, cruise missiles and other nuclear armaments that are classified. In May 2008, while being transferred to her current homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, George Washington suffered a serious fire which cost US$70 million in repairs and injured 37 sailors.
With North Korea’s crude nuclear weapons and huge standing army, the Unites States is hesitant to get into a new conflict with the new regime. That being said, it is for certain that the United States will not allow North Korea to launch a nuclear attack on South Korea without a nuclear response by the Washington Battle Group. The whole subject of the seriousness of this latest conflict is being kept under wraps, but the truth is the United States is extremely concerned about the possibility of a nuclear exchange breaking out in that region. If this were not true the President would not have been advised by the Pentagon to dispatch the USS George Washington with her nuclear capacity. The fact that Washington is on her way to South Korea is an indication of the urgency of the crisis.
The major news networks are keeping the possibility of a regional nuclear war breaking out on the Korean peninsula quiet and not reporting the seriousness of the crisis, perhaps by order from the Pentagon. Once the USS George Washington is in place in South Korea, this will undoubtedly make the friction in the area much worse. In times past, the U.S. has used “show of force” to seek to quiet a potential military conflict. In this case with the new North Korean leader seeking to flex his military muscles, it may be that North Korea is ready to call the U.S. military’s bluff and use their new nuclear capabilities. It is for certain that a show of force by the U.S. with North Korea will provoke the new leader to increased aggression, not quiet him.
The USS George Washington should reach South Korea in the next 2 days, it is at that point that the real danger will ensue. Watch closely to see how the new regime of Kim Jong-un of North Korea will respond to the massive U.S. presence near their borders.
Rob Robinson
