I think that for South Korea, Japan and even the United States this is the last straw. South Korea and Japan might just go nuclear. Even China might be or should be having second thoughts about allowing a nuclear armed North Korea.

SC.Charlie on February 12, 2013 at 3:22 PM

China is backing the crazy little runts as a back-alley method of arming Iran and others with nukes, which they will undoubtedly start selling outright if not parts and schematics. As pointed out elsewhere, that’s why we haven’t attacked NK, because they’re China’s version of Cuba.

Also, China not only makes most of our stuff but unlike Iraq or Afghanistan would put up a real fight on the conventional front.

You can’t rush these things, we don’t want anyone to get hurt.

Nk says ” Milkawha …. ?”

One more thing. Having nukes better enables NK to engage in nuclear blackmail for gain. They pretend to scale back their program in return for free goodies from suckers like the US. They never do, of course, but they make it look like they did for a year or so. Then rinse and repeat. – farsighted on February 12, 2013 at 1:41 PM

I think that for South Korea, Japan and even the United States this is the last straw. South Korea and Japan might just go nuclear. Even China might be or should be having second thoughts about allowing a nuclear armed North Korea.

farsighted on February 12, 2013 at 1:24 PM

One more thing. Having nukes better enables NK to engage in nuclear blackmail for gain. They pretend to scale back their program in return for free goodies from suckers like the US. They never do, of course, but they make it look like they did for a year or so. Then rinse and repeat.

Someone needs to tell Kimmie baby that if he ever uses one of those firecrackers, he’d better have a very deep hole to hide in because everything else will be gone!

Boats48 on February 12, 2013 at 12:59 PM

I think he’s more into marketing and selling his products abroad than in using them himself.

The primary domestic use is deterrence from attack.

Any aggression NK launches against neighbors will be using conventional weapons or terrorism. Having nukes better enables NK, and players like Iran — in fact especially Iran, to bully their neighbors with their conventional weapons/military and with covert operations such as terrorism.

However, if you don’t give a crap and economy is of the essence (Kim Un) one could fabricate a multi-kiloton yield device in under 250 Kg. Easy. Think steamer trunk.

That is one of the things that should worry us. An EMP weapon could be used as a threat to ward off US intervention in a Second Korean War.

I wonder how King Putt The Dunce will address this in his SOTU tonight? Must make his speach writers mad. After spending so much time in the wording of how He intends to ‘reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons from our inventory’ Only to have little Kim crap in His mess kit.
I’d bet he’ll swing and miss it completely.

Missilengr on February 12, 2013 at 11:36 AM

He will probably mention it in passing with a condemnation and then forget about it.

If one takes a path of suicidal simplicity in fabricating a nuclear weapon you neglect (highly technical and wise) items like Safe &Arm mechanism. Folks at SDNL (el al) have been working this for almost 70 years, to amazing levels ~10^10 reliability. Fundamentals of design and function are paramount. If it ain’t supposed to go ‘boom’ it had better not go ‘boom’ and if it is suppose to go ‘Boom’ it had damn well go of at the exact moment it is programmed. They are after all totally unforgiving to their surroundings.
However, if you don’t give a crap and economy is of the essence (Kim Un) one could fabricate a multi-kiloton yield device in under 250 Kg. Easy. Think steamer trunk.

I wonder how King Putt The Dunce will address this in his SOTU tonight? Must make his speach writers mad. After spending so much time in the wording of how He intends to ‘reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons from our inventory’ Only to have little Kim crap in His mess kit.
I’d bet he’ll swing and miss it completely.

“What – me worry?” — Alfred E Obama.

farsighted on February 12, 2013 at 11:11 AM

I wish MAD hadn’t gone down the toilet so much…they could be having such a field day with the last two presidents.

The entire US electrical grid would be incapacitated for YEARS.
Cars, trucks, trains, many aircraft – all immobilized and worthless.
No way to pump water, fuel, no refrigeration, no communications, TV, computers etc etc etc – we would essentially be living in 1840 without the life skills needed.

The military and Gubmint would be insulated thanks to “hardened” electrical systems.
Barky could still fly to Hawai’i for vacation with Big Mo’.
But there would be no attack on our soil, so how would we respond?

This is now a ‘clear and present danger’.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32544.pdf

If they haven’t had burritos up until now, it’s no wonder they’re kind of cranky.

2) Who says a N. Korea missile has to be launched by N. Koreans? Iran would love Love LOVE to have a missile that would easily reach from inside Iranian border to Tel Aviv. “Let’s make a deal!” says Machmoud ImADinnerJacket to Kim.

A manse is where a man of God lives. I reject the idea that there is anything holy or God-like about the rat-eared wonder.

Happy Nomad on February 12, 2013 at 9:20 AM

Given his propensity for mom-jeans, it might be more accurate to say he lives in a womanse…

What does Kim Jong Eun have to lose by launching a nuclear missile on one of his enemies?

Happy Nomad on February 12, 2013 at 9:44 AM

What does he have to GAIN? His entire nation will be flattened, and any demands he made will be utterly pointless.

The real danger is NK supplying nukes to nations that are NOT isolated, like say Iran or Egypt. We can contain NK, push comes to shove we can station dedicated anti-missile units in SK. We cannot contain the entire frigging Middle East.

US nuclear arsenal: 7,700
NK nuclear arsenal: < 10

Short war.

Trafalgar on February 12, 2013 at 9:07 AM

These things aren’t bullets.
The thing with WMDs is that you just need one for the MD part.

I very much doubt North Korea will use whatever they tested, assuming they have the means to deliver it.

changer1701 on February 12, 2013 at 9:21 AM

Global war has occurred by making such assumptions.

You can’t look at a country like North Korea and assume that they won’t do anything because it is in their best interests not to provoke China, Japan, or the United States. That is applying rationality to an irrational regime. I’m not saying that we need to park a bunch of SSBNs off the North Korean coast but we can’t discount this threat as unlikely either.

You prepare for the worst case scenerio and that would be a nuclear attack. Seriously, I’m sure the leadership has some secure bunker to hole up in and what really could a retalitory strike do but kill civilians? What does Kim Jong Eun have to lose by launching a nuclear missile on one of his enemies?

If they want buyers for their goods, the entire world needs access to Middle Eastern oil.

SC.Charlie on February 12, 2013 at 9:04 AM

You assume they’re capitalists.

US nuclear arsenal: 7,700
NK nuclear arsenal: < 10

Short war.

Trafalgar on February 12, 2013 at 9:07 AM

Have to remember to tell that to all the dead folks when one makes its way to them.

changer1701 on February 12, 2013 at 9:21 AM

No more food to NK. They have used the Nuke blackmail to it’s fullest. Now a diminishing return.
The only way they can continue with it is to threaten the actual USE of a nuke. There is no way the world would allow that.
It would be the end of NK.