The US base at Guam is 2,100 km away from North Korea and is the nearest American base that is not in a foreign country. This base is the key to one of the plans prepared by the Pentagon for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea's missile sites and launch pads, should President trump order such an attack.
Information was disseminated by two senior military officers and two senior retired officials to NBC News that the key ingredient of the plan would be a B-1 heavy bomber attack, originating from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. This has become more logical after Trump said that any threat from North Korea would be met with “fire and fury.”
This statement was criticized by Senator John McCain who said that such statements were not the hallmark of great leaders who never say anything they cannot do.
Trump may be incensed by such comments and he may well launch a strike against North Korea, CNN International reported.
Getting the B-1 ready
The USAF has positioned six B-1 bombers at Guam. These supersonic bombers have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan and could be the main option in case Trump gives the go-ahead for a strike. The bombers have been making practice runs, and they were refueled in midair by the KC 135 tankers. In an actual mission, they would be assisted by satellite communications and fighters, and there is very little chance that the North Koreans would be able to shoot down any B-1 bomber.
The Pentagon has prepared a number of options, but the use of B-1 bombers from Guam looks the least risky.
Some strategists are hoping that once a strike is launched, Kim will not retaliate as the planes are non-nuclear and operating away from Korea and Japan.
Opinion of experts
The experts who are suggesting that Kim may not retaliate have an opponent. He is Admiral Stavaridis, who has opined that any attack in which North Koreans are killed and their sites damaged will definitely invite retaliation.
North Korea has been saying this for a long time and threatening that its response would be “merciless.”
Kim Jong-Un and destruction
There is no doubt that a B-1 strike could take out sensitive targets like missile sites and launch pads which have already been identified. What is worrisome is the response of Kim Jong-Un. He is a dictator in the classical mold who is also a megalomaniac like Hitler and Tojo, and there is a chance that he will order a strike.
Considering that most of the population of South Korea and its capital Seoul are within 40 km of the DMZ, there is a chance that Kim Jonng-Un wreak terrible vengeance on the South. There are thus no good options for Trump, and any option he chooses could lead to many deaths as well as put the lives of 28,000 US troops on the border at great risk.
