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US, South Korea, can defeat North Korea
US and South Korean forces could defeat North Koreas army, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday, but figuring out the secretive states military policy is a difficult challenge.The United States has about 30,000 troops in South Korea working with about 690,000 South Korean troops. North Korea has most of its million-strong military positioned near the fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the peninsula. We are fully capable today of defeating any North Korean aggression and we will maintain that capacity, General Peter Pace told reporters. Pace said that, in defining a threat, the United States looked at the capability and capacity of a potential enemy as well as how they intended to use their military strength. Understanding the intent of the North Korean regime is very difficult, Pace said. Not knowing what their intent is, you need to be prepared to counter if their intent is ill. Washington is reducing its troop numbers in South Korea, in part because of greater overall commitments elsewhere, such as Iraq, but both US and South Korean officials say the deterrent value of the US force on the peninsula remains crucial. Pace said the United States was drawing down its troops in Iraq from the total of about 160,000 deployed there for last Decembers elections. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-04 |
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