South Korea's defense minister raises the idea of bringing back tactical U.S. nuclear weapons

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post




By Anna Fifield September 4 at 8:46 AM

SEOUL — South Korea’s defense minister on Monday said it was worth reviewing the redeployment of American tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula to guard against the North, a step that analysts warn — if taken — would sharply increase the risk of an accidental conflict.
Tensions on the peninsula remain high after North Korea conducted a huge nuclear test Sunday.

South Korea’s defense ministry said Monday that Kim Jong Un’s regime might be preparing to launch another missile, perhaps an intercontinental ballistic missile theoretically capable of reaching the mainland United States.

North Korea’s increasingly hostile threats, matched by the rapidly advancing ability to make good on them, has policymakers in the United States and in South Korea wondering how to respond.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-koreas-defense-minister-raises-the-idea-of-bringing-back-tactical-us-nuclear-weapons/2017/09/04/7a468314-9155-11e7-b9bc-b2f7903bab0d_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_skorea-940am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.d5e9d7229abe

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Trump's tactic worked.

Now he can get South Korea to start the war he desires, not the United States. SK was totally manipulated by his threat of shutting down trade with the U.S.

[Plucketeer]

2. It's truly amazing

that even tho we have film evidence of the futility and inhumane ends that war produces, we can't seem to get along. I keep thinking about Carl Sagan's observance that we never hear from "intelligent life" because once that distant community evolves to the point of technology that we have - it wipes itself out.

[pangaia]

3. or perhaps, they discovered us long ago and said, "no thanks."

[Bradical79]

5. Millions of sociopaths and narcissists out there -nt

[christx30]

10. Because terrible people have the best chance of gaining power

over others. And the "Us against them" mentality is a great way of manipulating and rallying people to your cause if you're a terrible person. And since being weak against the "them" is inexcusable, action *must* be taken to make sure the "them" knows their place, and is not a threat to "us".

[Tikki]

4. Pretty sure those weapons would come to S. Korea with

extra U.S. troops.


Tikki

[Brother Buzz]

7. Of course

Our nuclear weapons never, ever, leave US control.

[Tikki]

9. Maybe all those young alt right trumpsters marching around will volunteer to go to S. Korea!!!!

Tikki

[Bradical79]

6. Do they serve a purpose in war

that our current conventional and nuclear arsenal don't cover?

[Brother Buzz]

8. Yes and no. And it should be noted these weapons were deployed to South Korea in the past.

They were yanked out of South Korea in the early nineties.

Tactical nuclear weapons work great on paper, but everything goes out the window once they are used.

[xor]

11. Usually have lower yields so it makes using them more palatable

There is also the whole thing with there being less of a warning after their launch. Not sure if that would be particularly relevant with NK.

I'm by no means any expert in military tactics, strategy, or anything else, but I'm guessing maybe they would plan to use them on advancing masses of North Korea troops or perhaps even on the conventional artillery the north has directed at south korea.

I do know that one of the driving factors toward the reduction of deployed tactical nuclear weapons is that they increase the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used. Which makes sense. Imagine you're in charge of fifty-thousand soldiers and you're being overrun by a massive million man army. If you have low yield tactical nuclear weapons then you'll at least seriously consider using them in that situation. It might also give you the "courage" to do things you may not usually do. Which is not a good thing to have happen.

I, of course, am pulling most of this out of my ass.