An American military official of high rank said on Wednesday the United States was fully prepared to respond with “overwhelming force” against a possible nuclear attack by North Korea. He highlighted the readiness and capabilities of the U.S. nuclear triad amid rising concern about Kim Jong Un’s increasing advanced and deadly weapons programs.
It is a term used to describe a nuclear weapon delivery system that consists of three components: land-based intercontinental (ICBM) missiles, submarine-launched (SLBM) missiles, and strategic aircraft.
Why it Matters
Major General Jason Armagost addressed the concerns of attendees at a Korea Society discussion, an organization that is a non-profit. He is in charge of strategic bombers like the B-1 and B-2 as well as airborne nuclear strike capability.
Armagost made the statement in response to North Korea’s continued advancement of its nuclear weapons program, which is sanctioned by the United Nations. Gregory Guillot of the U.S. Northern Command recently warned that North Korea may now be able to hit targets in North America with its latest ICBM Hwasong-19. The assessment poses serious questions regarding U.S. defence strategies and its commitment to allies.
You Should Know
In answer to a specific question on whether North Korea’s intercontinental-ballistic missile (ICBM) capability could force the U.S. government to put its homeland security ahead of that of their South Korean ally Major General Armagost emphasized both the strength and the reliability of the U.S. nuclear triad.
The triad of strategic deterrence includes intercontinental ballistic missiles, sub-launched and air-launched submarine-launched rockets, and forward-facing and visible bombers.
The general acknowledged that Kim Jong Un’s regime possessing a nuclear triad would be “extremely hard to attack.”
“And so, what that system allows us to do is to say: ‘That use of an ICBM would not result in the benefit that you are seeking because we can respond in a way that is overwhelming—in the time, place, and manner of our choosing,” he elaborated, clearly stating that any North Korean aggression would be met with a decisive and devastating response.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring a credible deterrent by maintaining a strong arsenal of U.S. land based ICBMs and submarine launched ballistic missiles.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that the U.S. currently has around 1,770 deployed nuclear warheads. North Korea, according to estimates, has around 50 warheads and enough fissile matter to make 90 more. The U.S. commitment to extended deterrence is made more important by this disparity.
This commitment to “extended deterrence”, which also includes protection from the nuclear umbrella of the United States, is extended to other allies, such as Australia and South Korea. This commitment is vital in providing assurance to allies, and discouraging potential North Korean aggression.
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General Gregory Guillot commander of U.S. Northern Command On February 13, he addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Regime rhetoric around the new ICBM shows Kim’s eagerness to transition from his research and development program to serial production, a move that would rapidly increase North Korea’s arsenal and diminish my confidence in USNORTHCOM’s existing missile defense capability in the future.”
North Korea’s State-run Korean Central News Agency asserted on Thursday: “The United States already cooked up the ‘nuclear operation guidelines’ with the puppet Republic of Korea [South Korea] The “offer extended deterrence”, which was made to Japan, included nuclear weapons. It has transformed the U.S., Japan and ROK trilateral military cooperation into a comprehensive nuclear alliance.”
What’s Next?
Kim Jong Un expressed his intention to expand North Korea’s arsenal of nuclear weapons further. Kim Jong Un stressed that this was necessary to defend himself, in response to the increased military collaboration between U.S. allies South Korea and Japanese. In the evolving geopolitical context, there is a continuing need to be vigilant in monitoring North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and ambitions.