N Korea is getting serious.

[losttrail]

I sepnt a year stationed in S. Korea, '82-'83 at Camp Casey, Dongducheon with C Co, 2/72 Armor, 2Inf. Div.

Our SHTF defensive position was along the Imjin River in the DMZ.

Back then we had M48A5 tanks (before I went active duty, my NG unit in MT had M60's!) which were not the most modern in the U.S. inventory. The original M1's were being deployed to Germany to replace the M60A3's, most stateside units had M60A3's or M60A1 RISE.

Our concerns were not so much about our dated technology since the NK's had T54, T55 and some T62's, but numbers. At that time, the U.S. only had the two tank battalions on Camp Casey, 1/72 Armor and 2/72 Armor (54 tanks per battalion) and one tank company at Camp Gary Owen.

I remember days sitting looking across the Imjin through binoc's counting NK tanks and seeing 10:1, 15:1 odds, not in our favor.

Combine that with the tank traps on all the roads leading south, rice fields all over the place, and if it's not mid-winter when the fields are frozen, once you're out of ammo and the tank traps have been blown, you become infantry because your not getting your tank very far south.

Granted with the M1A2's and Bradley's, they would eat the crap out of the NK's armor, light armor and infantry, but there are a buttload of NK's.

Plus the whole country smell like an outhouse year round. It's just less offensive in the winter. -40 degrees in the winter, 98% humidity, 100+ degrees in the summer, 98% humidity, except monsoon season. Then it's about 500% humidity. I've never seen rain like that.

P.S. Let's not forget that the NK's have all our positions dialed in with artillery and air. And they have a buttload of both. If it comes to a ground assault, it won't be fun. I have no doubt that if we keep the politicians out of it, we will win, but it won't be fun or pretty.

[rondog]

I sepnt a year stationed in S. Korea, '82-'83 at Camp Casey, Dongducheon with C Co, 2/72 Armor, 2Inf. Div.

Just curious, do you know anything about the M-103 tanks? Short-lived and huge, is all I really know.

[losttrail]

Just curious, do you know anything about the M-103 tanks? Short-lived and huge, is all I really know.

Not a lot but....

Up until the M1, the M103 was the heaviest tank in the US arsenal at 65 tons (About what the original M1 Abrams weighed). It hosted a 120mm main gun with a crew of 5. Usual tank crew was 4 but the M103 required two loaders for the 120mm gun instead of the usual one loader for the standard 90mm tank guns. It was underpowered and had a rather fragile transmission. Only 300 here built in 1953 under the T43E1 designation. Of those 80 went to the US Army (74 were converted to M103 standard), 220 went to the Marines and were converted to M103A1 and M103A2; used for infantry support.

The original design was intended to be for long range engagement of Soviet tanks in Europe during the cold war. They entered service around 1957 and were retired in 1974.

[Ronin13]

Granted with the M1A2's and Bradley's, they would eat the crap out of the NK's armor, light armor and infantry, but there are a buttload of NK's.

P.S. Let's not forget that the NK's have all our positions dialed in with artillery and air. And they have a buttload of both. If it comes to a ground assault, it won't be fun. I have no doubt that if we keep the politicians out of it, we will win, but it won't be fun or pretty.

I'm not too worried. Iraq had one of the biggest air forces in the eastern Asian region, we took them out of that fight quickly back in 1991. We will achieve air dominance within hours (not days), and then their armor and infantry would be torn to pieces by AH64s, A-10s, CAS, then combined ground and IDF engagement. I was lucky to have been taught in AIT Cold War era conventional combat tactics (from the Command and Control side) as well as Counter-Insurgency C&C. We still train for conventional warfare, albeit not as much, but we are still able to crush most military forces out there.
ETA: Just saw this and had to put it up here!

[losttrail]

I'm not too worried. Iraq had one of the biggest air forces in the eastern Asian region, we took them out of that fight quickly back in 1991. We will achieve air dominance within hours (not days), and then their armor and infantry would be torn to pieces by AH64s, A-10s, CAS, then combined ground and IDF engagement. I was lucky to have been taught in AIT Cold War era conventional combat tactics (from the Command and Control side) as well as Counter-Insurgency C&C. We still train for conventional warfare, albeit not as much, but we are still able to crush most military forces out there.
ETA: Just saw this and had to put it up here!

I agree that that is what SHOULD happen. But with the current CiC, I'm not confident that's what WOULD happen.

I could see another Vietnam fiasco given the current buffoon in charge.

[hatidua]

I'm not too worried. Iraq had one of the biggest air forces in the eastern Asian region, we took them out of that fight quickly back in 1991. We will achieve air dominance within hours (not days)

Who's going to pay for it? I realize Loral/General Dynamics/et al would love it, but recent wars haven't been too lucrative for the national coffers...and the piggy bank is getting kinda low.

[Ronin13]

Who's going to pay for it? I realize Loral/General Dynamics/et al would love it, but recent wars haven't been too lucrative for the national coffers...and the piggy bank is getting kinda low.

It would seem there is money somewhere, considering Obama just threw a big party the other night, and those monthly vacations...

[losttrail]

Who's going to pay for it? I realize Loral/General Dynamics/et al would love it, but recent wars haven't been too lucrative for the national coffers...and the piggy bank is getting kinda low.

$250,000,000 to Egypt on top of the F-16's and M1 Abrams.

$3,000,000,000,000 to Saudi Arabia every year in foreign aid

Obama phones, Obamacare, there's plenty of money. Besides, the treasury can always print more.

Obama's "budget" is going to add another $8.2 TRILLION in debt over the next 10 years (more like the next 4 years), so what's a couple hundred billion more? Besides, Obama says the debt is not a problem.

[wctriumph]

It is a diversion. They are doing this so China can see how prepared we are in the region. If NK starts something we will rush in and China will jump on Taiwan and we will be tied up in Korea and our current defender of world comu.. er, freedom will not do anything about it.

[th3w01f]

The trajectory of their recently launched 'weather' satellite is very interesting this week.

http://n2yo.com/passes/?s=39026

Mix that with this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse and you've got a good conspiracy theory.