U.S. Puts Its Latest Arms in S. Korea

[pinniped]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-buildup21dec21,1,4035920.story?coll=la-home-headlines

U.S. Puts Its Latest Arms in S. Korea

An infusion of high-tech weapons near the DMZ isn't at odds with Bush's call to end the nuclear crisis with Pyongyang via talks, officials say.


By Barbara Demick, Times Staff Writer


SEOUL — Even as the Bush administration seeks a negotiated settlement to the North Korean nuclear standoff, an intimidating array of high-tech weaponry, much of it battle-tested in Iraq and Afghanistan, is being deployed south of the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

The weaponry has been quietly moved into South Korea since the summer as part of a significant restructuring of the 37,000 U.S. troops in the country. In return for moving soldiers away from the DMZ, the Pentagon promised Seoul that it would spend $11 billion to bring in the latest armaments.

"More lethality with fewer people," is the way one security analyst described the new mantra of the Pentagon when it comes to the Korean peninsula.

For five decades, troops with the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division have been dug in near the DMZ as the first line of defense against a possible North Korean invasion. As with other U.S. troops, the Pentagon would like to see them become faster, lighter and better able to respond to unpredictable global crises.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-buildup21dec21,1,4035920.story?coll=la-home-headlines

"The weaponry has been quietly moved into South Korea since the summer as part of a significant restructuring of the 37,000 U.S. troops in the country."

Every time pres. ASSHOLE does something it is done "quietly".

Pres. ASSHOLE quietly allowed polluters off the hook...

Pres. ASSHOLE quietly allowed developement of new nukes...

Pres. ASSHOLE quietyly allowed extended unemployment benefits to expire...Well that's because ASSHOLE created 1,000,000,000 new jobs and no one needs unemployment anymore.

Pres. ASSHOLE quietly signed legislation allowing Yosemite National Park to be mined for granite countertops...WTF?!?!?!?!just kidding but I'm not too far off...

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. $11 Billion in new arms - that oughta convince NK a "peaceful" solution

. . is in the hearts and minds of the BFEE !!

. . Hey Junior !! How about ingesting $11 Billion into medicare & the homeless ??

Dat Murikkkan pResident suks BIG TIME

. .

[pinniped]

2. POS doesn't have to...

Chimpy ASSHOLE called for a new wave of volunteerism and it expects $11,000,000,000.00 in donations to roll in.

[teryang]

3. Hey if it makes money for the contractors...

....they don't care. Interesting that the S. Korean analysts really are somewhat disturbed by beltway statements on strategy. Reading between the lines, they seem to be saying that the Americans don't even understand what they perceive as the threat situation. They don't consider any attack by N.Korea very likely. They know the country is on its knees. They regard Japan warily.

In any case armor is significantly hampered operating in Korea. They are confined to the inadequate Korean road system. Except during the winter freezes even the lightest military vehicles tend to get bogged down in mud. Fields of fire are remarkably limited by ubiquitous mountain ridges which provide excellent defensive positions but are more vulnerable to attack from the air and artillery.

For this reason 2 ID was never equipped with the latest in tank armor. When fleeing before the Chinese advance during the Korean conflict, many if not most American vehicles previously landed at Inchon were simply destroyed where they stood rather than let them fall into enemy hands.

Exercises in moving armor tend to evolve into clusters because of their confinement to narrow roads through soft paddy fields and narrow mountain defiles. Many road bridges can't support tanks. The striker will probably fare better in that regard. Fields not subject to the ubiquitous rice irrigation system and the gravel based river bottoms seemed to be the only areas suitable for armored movement. I saw tanks, armored vehicles and hummers stuck in the places frequently during exercises. The most important military vehicles in Korea are the tow vehicles to get the others unstuck and the bridge making engineering vehicles. The most serious mobility problem in Korea in the event of conflict would be how to push the millions of S.Korean vehicles off the road. Can the striker do this?

[54anickel]

4. Don't forget, quietly expanded the Patriot Act last Saturday. n/t

[loudnclear]

5. I sure hope the S. Koreans understand who will bear the brunt of a war

with N. Korea.