What happens when USA leads a campaign against N korea?

Question

Might China help us?

Answer 1

China would do nothing. Eliminating North Korea would remove an unstable threat to their borders, and the chinese love to see american soldiers die so theyd sit back and watch the show. In the first 24 hours the US would gain air supremacy and destroy the NK air force. No vehicles would be moving on the roads except the american armored columns from panmunjom as they drive straight for pyongyang. the NK would launch a few missiles but they would fall far short and off course and a few minutes later the launching site would be eliminated in an airstrike. THe NK infantry would resort to suicide attacks but these would be destroyed piecemeal and the units would run out of ammunition and supplies by the fifth day. The logistics system of the NK army would be non existant by the first week. Meanwhile the NK army would have their hands full because of the refugees coming south. At the end of ten days, as the first american vehicles entered pyongyang we would hear word that several generals had staged a coup and executed kim il or whatever his name is. At that point China would start screaming and moaning in the UN about american imperialist agression.

Answer 2

Speaking as a guy stationed here with the US military and pretty well versed with our war strategy, bultaco is just about spot on. I think his time-table is a bit compressed and it neglects some of the horrific things that would happen, but it's essentially accurate.

Bottom line, if we went at it with North Korea, it'd be a very tough fight at first. Then the shell around the egg would crack after a week or so as the DPRK logistics train started to break down, and it would be a race to maintain contact with the retreating enemy.

China and Russia (and those ******* in France) would stand by and wring their hands in the UN security council as usual, but none would do anything about it. China, while ideologically aligned with DPRK, has too much to lose in defending an unpredictable rogue state. This is not 1950, and the old alliances are nowhere near as strong.

Oh, and I'd spend a lot of time wearing my chemical gear as Scuds, Nodongs, and Taepodongs full of anthrax, vx, smallpox, and mustard gas came streaking south.

Answer 3

The PRC will never condone aggression so close to its borders.

A war on the Korean Peninsula would create an unmanageable refugee crisis. The PRC and Russian Federation have made preparations and held a number of exercises to prepare for this contingency over the last decade, but the prospect of upwards of 2 million or more Koreans swarming north is something neither the PRC or Russia care to face. The PRC doesn't want the refugee problem, nor does it want upwards of the quarter million American troops it will take to subjugate North Korea camped on any contiguous land border with it, ever. Whatever war the Americans wage will be done against the will of the UN Security Council. The PRC will not allow it. The Russians will not allow it. The French would likely veto as well, and the UK vote would not matter at all.

It is extremely doubtful with the troop drawdowns in the region whether the United States has enough troops in place to spearhead any attack against North Korea. With the narrow avenues of approach and harsh mountainous terrain, a war in Korea favors the defender. This is not Iraq. North Korea has the world's 4th largest military; the ROK has the 6th. They have both prepared for war for the last 52 years. Sanctions have not softened the North Koreans; they've built a completely militarized society based on criminal enterprise. The Americans have held watch over the Ulsan Corridor, but all of 8th Army is more or less bait in front of the North Korean juggernaut. Spearhead it is not.

Attacking into North Korea enables the North Koreans to conserve POL and munitions better, since they will be falling back on their own lines and stockpiles without having to rely on seizing those of the ROK military. It would take America upwards of 90 days to get enough forces in theater to stage offensive operations powerful enough to roll the North Koreans back, even fantasizing you can pull troops out of OEF/OIF burnout rotations. The DPRK military is not a joke. The only thing that will hold the North Koreans down is airpower, and plenty of it. And we're only talking about a surprise attack by the Americans and ROK military. North Korea has three stages of mobilization. If they've managed to get their readiness higher, you're dealing with a vicious armed camp indoctrinated to believe they can expect no mercy from the Americans.

I've wargamed this for years. I've studied the Orders of Battle on both sides. Have buddies serving here in Iraq besides me who used to be Imjin Scouts. Lived in the region for years. Stared at DPRK guards on the border forever.

War with the DPRK was a bad scenario even before they sought nuclear weapons. Positing it will be easy is the same carefree attitude that said we were victorious in Iraq and it was "Mission Accomplished". I guess that's why I was still engaged in hostilities for the rest of 2003 and most of 2006. Ask any career soldier if he thinks the DPRK is a pushover. Anyone who says yes is probably not in a position to ever shed his own blood.

Answer 4

We are already working on trying to get North Korea
off of its nuclear ambitions with the help of China, Japan
and South Korea.

Answer 5

USA =1 , Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea = 0

Answer 6

No,It would mean war with China and possibly Russia, The last thing they would want is US having access to Manchuria. They will fight as an automatic response as soon as foreign troops reach the Yalu River.

Timothy should think about what happened in 1950. China has her mind made up on this one for a long time and you should be ready to say by by to all the cities on the west coast of the USA.

Answer 7

We don't have the strength to go against North Korea at the moment, however China wouldn't help us but they wouldn't hinder us as they like South Korea as well.

Answer 8

There's no way China would go to war with the U.S. Too much at stake economically.
They'd sit quietly by while we destroyed NK, as they don't want that Butterball Kim Jong Il with any nukes either.
I'm sure they wouldn't be happy about having American forces at their border, but they know it would take a lot more than that to even set foot in China.

Answer 9

We will get our head handed to us. The U.S. is in no shape to start another war.
We all want to belive we are a super power but now days thats not so.
If anything China should take care of its bastard child N Korea. We just dont have what it takes anymore.

Answer 10

China would not help the United States as they are allied with North Korea. Just hope Dubya don't get too self-righteous and decide to push the envelope with NK.