Earlier this month, during the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump promised that the United States could “totally destroy” North Korea if it needed to. Trump also called Kim Jong-un the “Little Rocket Man” on a “suicide mission,” and promised that Kim Jong-un and other North Korean leaders would not be around much longer if they continue to threaten America and the country’s allies.
It is no surprise that the leader of North Korea retaliated with similar rhetoric, calling Trump a “mentally deranged” individual. He also said that the president of the U.S. is “full of megalomania,” and that a nuclear strike on the United States mainland by North Korea is “inevitable.”
Trump responded by firing back even more rhetoric last Friday, when he declared that Kim Jong-un is a “madman” who doesn’t mind killing or starving his people. He asserted that the leader of North Korea would be “tested” like never before.
Clearly, Trump is comfortable playing this sort of game – which marks a considerable detraction from his predecessor’s standard operating procedure. But, is it effective?
Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Republican National Committee’s Chairwoman, says that Trump’s strong rhetoric to North Korea is necessary as it lets Kim Jong-un know that the United States means business.
McDaniel stated that this type of rhetoric gets the attention of Kim Jong-un, and also lets him know that the president is serious about protecting the U.S. and its allies. This is necessary as Kim Jong-un has made a number of serious threats against the United States, including threats to annihilate Guam – a U.S. territory.
U.S. leaders believe that strong wording is needed to let Kim Jong-un know that the United States will not tolerate further nuclear testing. It’s understandable that the Kim dynasty is so taken back by this approach considering what it’s used to.
The Obama administration mostly ignored the threat from the rogue nation, but ignoring North Korea will do nothing to stop the threat, according to McDaniel. We are now in a situation where North Korea potentially can strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons. The last administration apparently missed the global threat from the hermit kingdom.
Assessments conducted by previous administrations predicted that North Korea was nowhere close to being able to develop a nuclear-capable ballistic missile. However, clearly, those assessments were way off. New reports indicate that North Korea will be capable of launching an intercontinental nuclear-capable missile as early as 2018.
There are also concerns over North Korea’s stockpile of chemical weapons. The Center for Nonproliferation Studies believes that North Korea has as much as 5,000 metric tons of such material. A primary concern is the country’s abundant supply of VX, which was the nerve agent that was allegedly employed to assassinate Kim Jong-un’s half-brother.
Due to the threat that North Korea poses to the United States and other countries, President Trump has laid out to the North Korean leader exactly what the consequences will be if the nation launches a nuclear or any other type of weapon towards the United States or its allies.
McDaniel believes that the President of the United States needs to be firm in letting North Korea know that if they ignore these threats, there will be consequences. Dana White, a Defense Department spokesperson, said that the current administration has clearly demonstrated the “U.S. resolve” and is sending a clear message to North Korea that the president has many options at his disposal to handle any threat.
The Pentagon recently flew fighter escorts and bombers farther north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone than any other American aircraft had flown this century. Using several F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan flew along with B-1B bombers from Guam in international airspace over waters just east of DPRK last week. This action proves to North Korea that the U.S. is prepared to use a full range of military capabilities to defend the United States and allies in a war.
According to the Pentagon, the North Korean weapon program is a grave threat to the entire Asia-Pacific region, as well as the rest of the world. The show of force and tough speech is a strong testament to the ironclad alliance that the United States administration has in defending its people and allies.
~ Liberty Planet
