U.S. President Donald Trump, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly, warned Kim Jong Un that any confrontation could have disastrous results. The president said that the United States is responsible for looking after its own safety as well as the safety of its allies in Japan and South Korea. If those are in danger from Ballistic Missiles launched by North Korea, it will spell doom for the country and Kim’s regime.
U.S. to revise its strategy
According to CNN, there is a thinking in certain quarters of the Trump administration that the method of handling Kim Jong Un must be revised.
The present strategy of the United States is to shoot down any missile that is directed towards the US or its allies. That may be revised, and any ballistic missile launched by North Korea could be shot down, irrespective of the intended target.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, while interacting with a section of the media has clarified the US stand. He has explained that activities of North Korea are provocative and, if they go over the line, could precipitate a serious situation which will not be desirable.
US intelligence is believed to have assessed the capabilities of North Korea. It has a Hwasong 12 intermediate range ballistic missile which is a success as proved by its recent flight tests.
This missile is now a weapon Pyongyang could use against the US. Another weapon in Kim’s arsenal is the Hwasong 14 which falls into the category of an ICBM.
Reasons for the new strategy
North Korea carried out the first test of an ICBM on July 4 and claimed that its ballistic missiles could target any corner of the world. At that time, the claim was not taken seriously, and Kim Jong Un followed it up with a second test on July 28 and of a hydrogen bomb on September 3.
However, when Kim sent two of his missiles flying over Japan in a single month, the thinking in the United States changed. The missiles had traveled a distance that could take them to the US military base in Guam.
The Trump administration has talked about a wide range of military options available and has also assured that the US would not put Seoul in danger of counterattack from the North because such a reprisal could lead to a loss of civilian lives.
The Pentagon is believed to be considering other options like covert cyber attack or display of force in the air or on land or even augmenting the strength of the US military presence in the Korean peninsula by increasing the number of troops and warships. Let us hope that the war cries do not escalate into a real war.