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2003-01-02 Axis of Evil

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Posted by Fred Pruitt 2003-01-02 12:55 pm|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Maybe some of you military types can answer a practical question:

How hard is it to pull out of NK safely and with all of our gear if the order is given? I assume it will not be easy as we do not want to risk being attacked in the middle of the withdrawal process when we might not be in a good defensive posture. Also, I figure some of our bases have a lot of equipment (maintenance shops, port facilities?) that is difficult to move. Plus, sealift capacity may be scarce right now. Do we make contingency plans for that type of thing?

Posted by JAB 2003-01-02 13:58:32|| 2003-01-02 13:58:32|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm sure we already have them, at least roughed in. A withdrawal would probably be phased over a period of time - six months to two years. Bases are leased from the South Korean government and would simply revert. Stuff we wanted to keep would be packed up and shipped, other stuff would be sold, donated to the SKors, or destroyed. Physical security would be covered by the Marines whatever army we still have left in Japan, and - assuming relations hadn't deteriorated to the punching phase - by the ROK army.

Posted by Fred 2003-01-02 14:35:25|| 2003-01-02 14:35:25|| Front Page Top

#3 Politically, it would make zero sense for NKor to attack while we were withdrawing... our forces there serve to bring us into the conflict if NKor attacks.

You would have to be a gibbering maniac to attack SKor *and* USA when you can wait a year and just fight SKor.

Oh wait... I begin to see your point...

Posted by Ryan Waxx 2003-01-02 15:26:19|| 2003-01-02 15:26:19|| Front Page Top

#4 Sez here that the SKors are already starting to worry about the possibility

Posted by Christopher Johnson 2003-01-02 17:38:53|| [mcj.blogspot.com/] 2003-01-02 17:38:53|| Front Page Top

#5 Honestly...it would be tough in less than 2 - 3 years.
On an emergency basis, we would get the dependents out ASAP (don't forget, there are probably 20K+ wives, husbands, and children of US personnel here). But - they get out with little besides their lives and the clothes on their backs. We could fly the air capable assets (F-16s, A-10s, US Army choppers) to Japan in or hours. The 37,000 troops would take at least a month, even with mass nationalization of the US civilian air fleet. It's the major ground assets (tanks, trucks, arty, war reserve materials) that would take severe sea lift. We have been stockpiling stuff here since 1953! Our only options would be to turn it over to the ROKs, or destroy it.
If we have more time, it would be easier to just stop filling billets as people leave. Most people are here on one year assignments. Of course, as you manning goes down, your ability to deter the Chonger goes down also, and maybe not in a straight arithmatic function. Is there a tipping point, where the nK suddenly feels that the number of US bodies no longer constitutes a valid trip wire to bring in the US? Is that 5K gone, 12K, 25K? Ya got me.
This scenario would be orderly, but still doesn't allow us to move more than a fraction of the heavy assets. We got to get all this stuff out of garrison or storage, down the (generally narrow) roads without running over school girls, to the ports, loaded on ships...

Posted by theSarge 2003-01-02 22:27:58|| 2003-01-02 22:27:58|| Front Page Top

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