U.S. bombers fly off North Korea's coast in show of force

[Kontinuum]

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday, in a show of force the Pentagon said demonstrated the range of military options available to President Donald Trump.

The flight, which was disclosed shortly before North Korea’s foreign minister was due to address the United Nations, was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.

“This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, calling North Korea’s weapons program “a grave threat.”

“We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies.”

The flight follows a week of heightened rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang, with Trump and Kim Jong Un trading insults. Trump called the North Korean leader a “madman” on Friday, a day after Kim dubbed him a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”

Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile. The North has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.

The Pentagon said the B-1B Lancer bombers came from Guam and the U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. It said the operation showed the seriousness with which it took North Korea’s “reckless behavior.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-no...KCN1BW1ZZ?il=0

[Skroe]

Good. Now let’s use this opportunity to remark that the US is about 120 bombers short of its requirement and about 320 air superiority fighters.

We must buy the B-21 as fast and as in large quantities as possible, and we should buy 150 of the latest f-15s as a stop gap to buying a full 700 sixth generation air superiority fighters in the late 2020s

Impressive display, but the US has half a stick right now thanks to cuts.

[Skroe]

Stupid move to escalate the conflict, but not unexpected.

No. It’s conventional deterrence. It’s a perfectly legitimate tool to use in this situation.

[Rukh]

Good. Now let’s use this opportunity to remark that the US is about 120 bombers short of its requirement and about 320 air superiority fighters.

We must buy the B-21 as fast and as in large quantities as possible, and we should buy 150 of the latest f-15s as a stop gap to buying a full 700 sixth generation air superiority fighters in the late 2020s

Impressive display, but the US has half a stick right now thanks to cuts.

The US has half a gargantuan log, and everyone else is walking around with some portion of a twig. :P

[Deleted]

I doubt the North Koreans care.

The Officials know the US wont invade. Especially with Seoul being in range and the Norks having Nuclear weapons and who knows what biological weapons. They probably also figured out that the US does not have the proper equipment or personnel for such a war.

The lower class will be told that the American barbarians tried to do Air raids, but the Juche stopped them, saving countless Women and Children from the foreign killers.

Might rally Americas allies in the region, but thats about it.

[PACOX]

I doubt the North Koreans care.

Pretty much. They don't give a damn sort of the US actually being able to nullify or accept NKs retaliatory strike.

[Stormspark]

NK is a regional threat, that's about it. They're mainly a threat to SK. Seoul would be completely obliterated before we could do anything if NK decided to start something, though. It wouldn't even take a nuke, they've got enough conventional artillery pointed at it to level the whole city. Even 50-year-old outdated artillery is still artillery. That's pretty much all they have though. From what I understand, the pride of their air force is a few Mig-15's from 1950 or so. Pretty sure any modern aircraft would be able to down those from outside the range where the Mig-15's would even be able to see them. In an actual military conflict I'd expect complete total air superiority within 24 hours.

[Zecora]

Dumbassery on the level of playing with matches while you're filling gas.

[Breccia]

Iran just flat-out launched a ballistic missile. Clearly, threats and shows of force aren't working. Iran and North Korea know they're protected. Trump won't make a unilateral attack.

[Deleted]

Iran just flat-out launched a ballistic missile. Clearly, threats and shows of force aren't working. Iran and North Korea know they're protected. Trump won't make a unilateral attack.

And you think war is good because?

The idea of North Korea or Iran attacking is dumb. Why start a war you can't win?

China a bleeding NK atm and the best soft weapon against them is to up the smuggling of information in. 1000 usb drives will be more effective than parking a boat or flying a plane around. Cheaper too.

[Draco-Onis]

Iran just flat-out launched a ballistic missile. Clearly, threats and shows of force aren't working. Iran and North Korea know they're protected. Trump won't make a unilateral attack.

Iran is only reacting because Trump imposed sanctions even though they have honored their part of the deal. Trump has empowered the crazies in Iran with his actions so the government needed to give them something just like North Korea is using his speeches to help their rhetoric at home.

[Skroe]

Iran just flat-out launched a ballistic missile. Clearly, threats and shows of force aren't working. Iran and North Korea know they're protected. Trump won't make a unilateral attack.

Trump won’t attack and the US military doesn’t want the conflict. But make no mistake. Ballistic missiles protect nobody but Russia. They’re just something else the US factors in. There is no deterrent effect Towards the US from Iran or North Korea.

- - - Updated - - -

Iran is only reacting because Trump imposed sanctions even though they have honored their part of the deal. Trump has empowered the crazies in Iran with his actions so the government needed to give them something just like North Korea is using his speeches to help their rhetoric at home.

the Iran deal covered the nuclear program, not the ballistic missile program, which is different. Iran wanted it to cover both. The Obama administration said no.

Don’t give Iran a freebie. If they want sanctions relief for their ballistic missile program, they have to give up something.

[Breccia]

And you think war is good because?

Find and circle the part in my post where i even suggested war is good.

Or, the last hundred I've made.

[Draco-Onis]

the Iran deal covered the nuclear program, not the ballistic missile program, which is different. Iran wanted it to cover both. The Obama administration said no.

Don’t give Iran a freebie. If they want sanctions relief for their ballistic missile program, they have to give up something.

But Trump has neither the intellect or the gravitas to gain support from the international community and bring Iran to the negotiating table. All he is doing by imposing sanctions is doing Iran a big favor because our allies are not going to walk away from the nuclear deal. This is a situation that required finesse Trump has been using a jackhammer, this may end with the international community being on the side of Iran solely due to Trump's behavior.

[Skroe]

But Trump has neither the intellect or the gravitas to gain support from the international community and bring Iran to the negotiating table. All he is doing by imposing sanctions is doing Iran a big favor because our allies are not going to walk away from the nuclear deal. This is a situation that required finesse Trump has been using a jackhammer, this may end with the international community being on the side of Iran solely due to Trump's behavior.

Nothing that you cited is a Reason against sanctions for the ballistic missile program. The US must honor its commitments under the Terms of the Iran Nuclear Deal. But that deal explicitly does not cover sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for terrorism. Any new sanctions or retaliation on our part for those subjects are fair game.

This includes, by the way, the concept of the “spirit of the deal”. Sanctions on its ballistic missile program do not violate that. They are different. It was part of Iran’s original negotiating approach to try and have it that way, but the US and EU rejected that.

Again, Iran does not get anything for free. If they want sanctions lifted for other actities they have to deal and offer something. But until they do, we can do whatever we want to them.

[Draco-Onis]

Nothing that you cited is a Reason against sanctions for the ballistic missile program. The US must honor its commitments under the Terms of the Iran Nuclear Deal. But that deal explicitly does not cover sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for terrorism. Any new sanctions or retaliation on our part for those subjects are fair game.

This includes, by the way, the concept of the “spirit of the deal”. Sanctions on its ballistic missile program do not violate that. They are different. It was part of Iran’s original negotiating approach to try and have it that way, but the US and EU rejected that.

Again, Iran does not get anything for free. If they want sanctions lifted for other actities they have to deal and offer something. But until they do, we can do whatever we want to them.

But that is not how Trump is framing the debate he is making it all about the Iran nuclear deal which is why his efforts are doomed for failure. If he had framed it as well we are happy with the Iran nuclear deal but we should push for more that would be different. As of right now he is saying the US does not honor its deals which is not exactly a position you want when trying to make deals.

And if history has taught us anything it is that US sanctions alone will be ineffective when it comes to getting Iran to the negotiating table.

[Macaquerie]

Whatever leverage our military power buys us in negotiating these deals is more than counteracted by the complete lack of trust in our ability to act in good faith. At this point the Iranians assume that the USA will always resort to sanctions and military threats whether they abide by their commitments or not, so they really have no reason not to keep on doing whatever they want.

The problem is that our global strategy has twisted the idea of realpolitik into simply trying to humiliate every rival for amusement because we can. A more practical approach would be to offer symbolic concessions that allow them to maintain their dignity publicly while pressing them harder on the important issues behind closed doors. Ultimately, the goal of Iran's leadership is not to nuke Israel to oblivion or to flood the Middle East with terror groups, it's to try and "make Iran great again" and establish themselves as a world power after suffering so many humiliations at the hands of the British and Americans in the last century or so. If we can offer them a taste of that, they'll be much more likely to abide by our demands elsewhere.

[Macaquerie]

Can we quit pretending the United States agreed to this Iran deal? It was never ratified or approved by the Senate. Obama acted in the dark of night because he knew that it wasn’t a good deal and couldn’t sell it. The EU and other nations are free to engage in treaties and agreements as they deem right for themselves. But Obama can’t make treaties, just as Trump can’t make treaties. No one is acting in bad faith because it’s not legally binding. If the left is worried about America’s reputation and its credibility, then they shouldn’t act unilaterally and bypass the laws and institutions put in place. DACA is another great example of the left acting without regard for the law, then crying foul when reality comes and hits them in the face.

I’m not going to pretend I’m some expert on Iran. But decades of appeasement and hoping has led us to North Korea with ICBMs. We don’t need another rogue state that is dedicated to eradicating the west and supporting jihad to have this capability.

Typical deplorable nonsense. You admit that you pretty much know nothing about the subject, but because you read someone on Breitbart that GRRR OBAMA WEAK this became something you all of a sudden started caring about.

[Arvei]

Can we quit pretending the United States agreed to this Iran deal? It was never ratified or approved by the Senate. Obama acted in the dark of night because he knew that it wasn’t a good deal and couldn’t sell it. The EU and other nations are free to engage in treaties and agreements as they deem right for themselves. But Obama can’t make treaties, just as Trump can’t make treaties. No one is acting in bad faith because it’s not legally binding. If the left is worried about America’s reputation and its credibility, then they shouldn’t act unilaterally and bypass the laws and institutions put in place. DACA is another great example of the left acting without regard for the law, then crying foul when reality comes and hits them in the face.

I’m not going to pretend I’m some expert on Iran. But decades of appeasement and hoping has led us to North Korea with ICBMs. We don’t need another rogue state that is dedicated to eradicating the west and supporting jihad to have this capability.

What even is this drivel? I wonder if you guys actually believe what you're saying.

[PC2]

Latest tweet from 10min ago.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!

Trump is in hardcore mode!