GOP pushes for re-deployment of nukes in Korea

[Korean]

House pushes Obama administration to consider tactical nukes in South Korea | The Cable

House pushes Obama administration to consider tactical nukes in South Korea
Posted By Josh Rogin Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 7:09 PM Share

Frustration with North Korea's ongoing nuclear weapons and missile programs has pushed Congress to reopen the debate in Washington over whether the United States should reintroduce tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea.

The House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment to the fiscal 2013 national defense authorization bill that supports "steps to deploy additional conventional forces of the United States and redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to the Western Pacific region," and mandates that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta submit a report on the feasibility and logistics of redeploying forward-based nuclear weapons there, "in response to the ballistic missile and nuclear weapons developments of North Korea and the other belligerent actions North Korea has made against allies of the United States."

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), was approved by a vote of 32-26, with all Republicans, except for Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), and two Democrats in favor. It comes only weeks after another committee member, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), demanded the administration investigate North Korea's apparent acquisition of Chinese-made mobile ICBM launchers.

"We in the last many years have appealed to China to help us negotiate with North Korea to bring them in line in the quest for peace in the world... In fact, China has now embarked on selling nuclear components to North Korea," Franks said at at the committee's Wednesday markup. "Consequently it's become time for us as a nation to look to our deterrent and our ability to take care of ourselves and work with our allies to do everything we can to deter and to be able to defend ourselves against any future belligerence or threats from North Korea."

China's policy of doing nothing on North Korea does not come without cost to China..

 

[Skull and Bones]

Great move by US if it really materialize, this should shut up those in-power North Koreans retards bragging about their puny 5 Kt nukes.

 

[Korean]

Great move by US if it really materialize, this should shut up those in-power North Koreans retards bragging about their puny 5 Kt nukes.

This is really a message being sent to China. If Hu and Xi don't want to see US nukes so close to Beijing, they better do something about North Korean nukes, like cutting off aid so that North Korea collapses and the ROK can take over.

 

[Killswitch]

This would be a symbolic move. If the US wants to nuke any inch on the planet, it can do so using its sub fleet.

 

[Raphael]

This is just election year posturing. Republicans have to portray themselves as 'tuff on foreign policy hurr durr'. The fact that NK has nukes means that the geopolitics of the peninsula will be frozen until the NK elite decide to undertake reforms, and only they have authority to make that decision.

 

[below_freezing]

This is just election year posturing. Republicans have to portray themselves as 'tuff on foreign policy hurr durr'. The fact that NK has nukes means that the geopolitics of the peninsula will be frozen until the NK elite decide to undertake reforms, and only they have authority to make that decision.

The global oppression party is not going to do anything. Even if there were nukes in South Korea, that's a bigger danger to South Korea than it is to China, since if they did, we have the right to nuke South Korea as it has become a nuclear state.

 

[SinoChallenger]

Good! This will guarantee the Korean people will become extinct sometime during the 21st century.

 

[Korean]

only they have authority to make that decision.

And China could help Kim Jong Eun make that decision by cutting off all aids, including oil and food. That will do the trick.

But China won't.

 

[Raphael]

That means they starve, and a flood of refugees come across the border. But of course, you don't really care about the welfare of your 'brothers' because you're some DPP Taiwanese false-flageer

 

[Korean]

That means they starve, and a flood of refugees come across the border.

Who will gladly return to their newly liberated homes once the ROK takes over in about a week.

 

[Raphael]

Whoa, you're forgetting that NK has nukes. And don't give me any bs about a missile defence or whatever. If you had that, you would have invaded already

 

[Pakistanisage]

It makes no sense for the US to redeploy the nukes in South Korea. for one thing, the US will lose credibility in its posture of Non-Proliferation if we aggressively deploy nukes all over the World. Our nukes don't have to be on Korea soil for us to hold North Koreans feet to the fire. If the North ever made the foolish mistake of using nukes against the South Korea, we can always use our tactical nukes from our nuclear subs. That should be enough deterrent to discourage the north from any misadventure.

 

[IbnAlwaled]

Great move, about time.