As a club we are fortunate to have members who are well versed in several topics, such is our resident historian, Arnold Swanberg. Arnold provided an evaluation of North Korea’s military capability as compared to that of its adversaries. This type of information, hitherto under secrecy, is made available via satellites.
And so, the information is as follows:
- The gross domestic product of South Korea (henceforth SK) greatly exceeds that of North Korea (henceforth NK).
- NK’s military force exceeds 1 million. SK’s has been reduced to 350 thousand, with 5 million in reserve.
- SK has more tanks, artillery, and air defenses than NK.
- Ergo, SK can deal with NK.
- However, nuclear capability can upset the equation.
- NK has a large navy, mainly submarines gotten from Russia. SK, with a smaller navy, builds its own ships.
Arnold then showed pictures of the various NK planes, notably an American helicopter. This originated when the Reagan administration sent the model to Germany which forthwith gave it to NK. In fact, it is better than ours. It seems a fact that NK uses obsolete aircraft, obtained from Russia and China. Their main attack plane is Russian. Otherwise NK does not operate advanced aircraft.
The US, averred Arnold, has had a habit of attacking, or stimulating uprisings, at regimes it does not like, to wit, Iraq, Syria, Serbia, Libya, Egypt. In such cases, US security was not at stake nor involved. In this setting, the balance of power favors SK and the US. NK needed a way to deal with the US. Thus arose its nuclear program. The situation promises to worsen. Arnold feels that Trump is on the right track in the policy regarding NK and its nukes.
Comment: There are many variables aside from the nuclear one. One is China and what it might do in cases of confrontation.
Editor’s note: Arnold is also one of our least photographed members.
