US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test

Re:US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test by t0mas88 on Wednesday November 18, 2020 @06:27AM (#25135585)

The US could setup a conventional non-nuclear response that takes Pyongyang off the map, probably within a few days. That would be the safer strategic option and the rest of the world would not criticize such a response, while a nuclear response would not be appreciated by many others.

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Re:US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test by goatinaboat on Wednesday November 18, 2020 @06:43AM (#25135709)

The US could setup a conventional non-nuclear response that takes Pyongyang off the map, probably within a few days.

Any strike on NK has to decapitate it instantly, or the conventional artillery along the border will pound Seoul into rubble in the meantime. Ballpark figures are 10,000 pieces, some dug in, some mobile, each capable of firing 10kg high explosive and keeping it coming until their ammunition runs out. It's a hard problem for any military planner.

If the SK capital was on their south coast and it was only farmland within artillery range of the border than NK would be an easy problem to solve (obviously if that were the case NK would have developed other weapons to compensate). Notwithstanding China of course.

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Re:US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test by samus on Wednesday November 18, 2020 @07:16AM (#25135927)

A conventional strike would thus have to be two-pronged: (1) overrunning the DMZ to neutralize the artillery and prevent a counterstrike, and (2) attack Pyongyang. Of course, this is probably the scenario war planners on both sides have analysed ad nauseam. Success is thus highly questionable. And if it takes long enough for China to intervene again, WW3 will come and scores will be settled.

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Re:US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test by goatinaboat on Wednesday November 18, 2020 @07:44AM (#25136123)

All scenarios boil down to a single question of how much of Seoul are you willing to sacrifice.

You would also need to somehow move your DMZ-overrunning force into position without that manoeuvre itself triggering the artillery bombardment.

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Re:US Navy destroyer shoots down an ICBM in milestone test by medium_burrito on Wednesday November 18, 2020 @04:41PM (#25142800)

Really a pity we don't have a space lift system that can launch 100 tons into LEO, figure 25 tons per 20 foot long tungsten rod (or DU). One could imagine a hundred of those things saturating the region beyond the DMZ pretty hard.

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