Noticed the Michigan has her dry deck shelter attached.
Planned exercises for people with black wetsuits, fast RIBs and waterproof guns...!

As I mentioned earlier on a different thread, one Japanese military expert being consulted on a TV talk show here last week suggested that NK is in possession of around 50 kg of plutonium, 10 kg having been produced domestically, and 40 kg sent in a series of small shipments by Putin from Russia.

I also see the Torygraph correspondent in Beijing has upgraded the Michigan to dual role of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

Are the latter cruise missiles that become ballistic if the engine cuts out? :)

Whilst quietly impressed by some of the hardware being amassed in the region, i do have concerns of the chain of events that may play out. So, NK tests a nuke, US sends in some cruise missiles. NK retaliates against SK with conventional and chemical weapons. It all escalates from there pretty quickly...
from memory state sanctioned assassinations are unconstitutional, but as they say the law is an ass.

Two points:

1. Got to have the right isotope of plutonium to make a weapon, and only Pu239 can make a fission weapon. What kind does the DPRK supposedly have?

2. By all accounts, DPRK does not have the capability to build an implosion-type weapon which is required when using plutonium. They can only build gun-type weapons which require highly enriched uranium. (U235). That's what all those centrifuges are used for: enriching natural uranium which is mostly U238 and only 0.7% U235 until it reaches 90% or better U235, and only U235 can be used in a weapon. U238 is non fissile and after the U235 has been extracted is often called "depleted" uranium and used for its mechanical/physical properties (about twice the density of lead, and when alloyed with other metals, very hard, which makes it an excellent armor piercing projectile.)

The US Constitution is silent on assassination. In any event, the Constitution only applies within the US. That's why the terrorists are "detained without trial "in Gitmo where the Constitution does not apply.

God I've just seen a NK T-34 covered in infantry 1942 style moving down a road on the telly. When all this is over the place will be overrun with dealers after working antiques for their museums, assuming there's any left !

Ken, executive order 13355?

I suppose you could argue it was not political?

EO 13355 addresses management of the intelligence community. It is silent on assassinations. In any event, EOs do not have the weight of the Constitution and can be altered or overidden by subsequent EOs or by Congressional legislation.

OK, Order 123333.

Yes, it can be overturned. Now I wonder if it would be post facto.

Bush, Obama and the UK government have been doing it regularly by drone for many years, including across state boundaries and against their own citizens - R2P applies. Against terrorist affiliated groups it is also is now sanctioned by international law, I can provide a reference if you require, and with the NK regime's repeated and known kidnapping of Japanese, South Korean and American citizens it can easily be applied.

Things ain't what they used to be....

So what do they put in their artillery barrels to create those fireball special effects? Soju?

This could become a very serious topic. It seems to me that POTUS has a limited range of options. His primary aim will be to negate the real threat with minimum US (his) loss. Secondary is minimum collateral (some of his), and tertiary losses (not his) are the lowest priority. However, POTUS can only act pre-emptively if his actions can perfectly decapitate the NK chain of command, with very limited losses on all sides. All other scenarios require POTUS to lose the initiative by waiting for the NK first strike so that, whatever the consequences, all losses are blamed on NK. Unfortunately, $64,000 question is, is POTUS a gambler? I don't think he is at heart and, I suspect he will play a waiting game with either: China doing the dirty work (that they should have done decades ago) or, staying ready and waiting for that NK pre-emptive that will hopefully be bungled and give POTUS the moral high ground (in a terrible mess). :sad:

OAP

I do not have an answer to this crisis, but at what point will something have to be done? By that I mean either accept NK as is or go to war?
Or will this 'stand-off' carry on for ever and and day with the buck being passed from one POTUS to another?

The latest propaganda video from our friends in the DPRK

I feel sorry for the US carrier that was blown up in order to make the film and of course the White House at the end!

Youtube

Hey - if he can backflip on cancelling NAFTA - then he can back down on flattening North Korea.
The man is utter p1ss and wind.
Like a lot of bullies - I reckon he's secretly the grossest of cowards.
If it ever really came to a shooting war with the Norks, he'd be hiding under the table in the situation room, cowering.
Syria is no parallel - a little chat with Vlad beforehand so that the MiGs, Hinds and Frogfoots could be shifted out of the way and then badda-boom - some sound and light to appear tough.
This... is a little more complex, and there isn't the same room to move.

All you have to do with DPRK is contain them. It works better, though, if the Chinese are willing to participate in some containment. If not, there's a limit to what any US president can do, and let's not forget that the SK government has a lot at stake and a lot to lose: their input is also going to limit US options.

Attempts at containment is how we arrived at the current situation.

We either accept a nuclear NK with the ability to project that power, or we don't and appropriate measure are taken towards that end.

How did they manage to get that much weapon grade plutonium? Who gave it to them?

KK #82 perhaps?