Countering The North Korean Threat

The authors argue that the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should pursue firm deterrence of North Korean nuclear weapon use--which might soon pose a serious threat to the United States and the ROK--rather than relying on negotiations.

For many years, North Korea's nuclear weapons program has been a concern. In 2016, North Korea conducted two tests of an atomic weapon and 20 separate tests of their intercontinental ballistic missile system, including a test in which a submarine fired an ICBM. North Korea is trying to miniaturize the size of their nuclear weapons in order to fit a nuclear warhead on an ICMB. With each test, the North Koreans learn more about how to perfect their illegal weapons, and with each test our allies in Seoul and Tokyo are reminded of just how dangerous their neighborhood has become. That's why the South Korean Government is moving ahead with the deployment of a THAAD anti-ballistic missile, a purely defensive system. This threat is not limited to Northeast Asia. The best minds working on this problem agree that North Korea is just a few years or even less from a weapon that could reach the United States. There is a critically short period of time left to stop that from happening.

As North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile arsenals grow larger and more sophisticated, the United States could soon be faced with a terrible choice when Pyongyang attempts to coerce Seoul—risk an intercontinental nuclear war or abandon a key ally. To avoid such as scenario, the author recommends that Washington adopt a new strategy to proactively counter North Korea’s nuclear threat by impeding its nuclear and missile programs, investing to stay ahead of its arsenal, and adjusting military operations on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world's largest armed forces. Whether measured in terms of the total number of personnel in uniform, numbers of special operations soldiers, the size of its submarine fleet, quantity of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, or its substantial weapons of mass destruction programs, Pyongyang is a major military power. Content: North Korea's Military Threat Conventional Forces Unconventional Forces Overall Conclusions The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program DPRK National Strategy and Motivations Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development Institutional Setting Conclusion U.S. Government Policy Toward North Korea Countering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy) Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options) President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula A Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Statement from the President on North Korea's Second ICBM Launch Statement by President Donald J. Trump on North Korea About the Authors

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world's largest armed forces. This book provides the facts regarding the true force of North Korean Army and gives an assessment of its capability to harm the United States. North Korea's Military Threat Conventional Forces Unconventional Forces Overall Conclusions The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program DPRK National Strategy and Motivations Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development Institutional Setting Conclusion U.S. Government Policy Toward North Korea Countering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy) Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options) President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula A Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Statement from the President on North Korea's Second ICBM Launch Statement by President Donald J. Trump on North Korea About the Authors

Since the 1990s, the American government has under prioritized the North Korean threat to global security, according to Bruce Bechtol, an associate professor of political science at Angelo State University. Because North Korea appears economically weak and politically unstable, it is therefore often categorized as a state on the brink of collapse, or a failed state. But Bechtol makes a convincing case that North Korea is more complex and menacing than it how it has often been characterized."Defiant Failed State" shows how the North Korean government has adapted to the post Cold War environment and poses a multifaceted danger to U.S. national security and that of its allies. Bechtol analyzes North Korea s military capabilities, nuclear program, proliferation, and leadership succession to mine the answers to important questions such as, is North Korea a failing or failed state? Is it capable of surviving indefinitely? Why and how does it present such risk to Asia and the United States and its allies?This book sheds new light on the nature of the North Korean threat and the key foreign policy issues that remain unresolved between the United States and South Korea. It is essential reading for scholars, policymakers, military strategists, functional and regional specialists, and anyone who is interested in East Asian affairs."

COUNTERING THE NORTH KOREAN THREAT: NEW STEPS IN U.S. POLICY HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION FEBRUARY 7, 2017 Serial No. 115-4

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world's largest armed forces. This book provides the facts regarding the true force of North Korean Army and gives an assessment of its capability to harm the United States._x000D_ North Korea's Military Threat_x000D_ Conventional Forces_x000D_ Unconventional Forces_x000D_ Overall Conclusions_x000D_ The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program_x000D_ DPRK National Strategy and Motivations_x000D_ Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development_x000D_ Institutional Setting_x000D_ Conclusion_x000D_ U.S. Government Policy Toward North Korea_x000D_ Countering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy)_x000D_ Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options)_x000D_ President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula_x000D_ A Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea_x000D_ Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea_x000D_ Statement from the President on North Korea's Second ICBM Launch_x000D_ Statement by President Donald J. Trump on North Korea_x000D_ About the Authors