[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The '3 Major Countermeasures' the US Will Deploy Against North Korea's Provocations

[Image source=Yonhap News] F-35B Stealth Fighter and B-1B Deployed over the Korean Peninsula (Seoul=Yonhap News) In response to North Korea's 6th nuclear test and the launch of the medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM) Hwasong-12, the U.S. F-35B stealth fighter, B-1B strategic bomber, and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter conducted a simulated bombing exercise over the Korean Peninsula on the morning of the 18th. 2017.9.18 [Provided by the Air Force=Yonhap News] photo@yna.co.kr (End)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The South Korea-U.S. policy consultation delegation visiting the United States discussed the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula with Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, at the White House on the 5th (local time). Strategic assets include nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and B-52 and B-1B strategic bombers, weapons to which North Korea reacts extremely sensitively.

Park Jin, a member of the People Power Party leading the delegation, met with Advisor Sullivan for 40 minutes and told reporters that there was a consensus that close cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. is necessary to enhance deterrence against North Korea amid its successive missile shows of force. They plan to effectively reactivate the expanded deterrence strategy consultation body (EDSCG) between South Korea and the U.S., which began during the Park Geun-hye administration but was suspended under the current government, to discuss the regular rotation and deployment of U.S. strategic assets.

If the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula proceeds, strategic bombers such as the B-52H "Stratofortress," B-1B "Lancer," and B-2 "Spirit" are expected to be the first to be deployed.

The U.S. Pacific Air Forces announced on the 15th of last month that it had stationed four B-52H "Stratofortress" bombers at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, which had been withdrawn to the mainland in 2020 during the Donald Trump administration.

The B-52H is somewhat slow but can carry about 31 tons of bombs and fly over 6,400 km to bomb and return. The U.S. B-52 bombers also flew over the Korean Peninsula as a warning to North Korea during the axe murder incident at Panmunjom in 1976.

Andersen Air Force Base in Guam hosts the B-1B "Death's Swan," a newer model than the B-52. It can carry about 60 tons of bombs, twice that of the B-52. The B-1B can fly at Mach 2 speed, reaching Pyongyang within two hours after taking off from Guam.

The latest among the U.S. bombers that would sortie to the Korean Peninsula is the B-2, which boasts stealth capabilities. It can carry about 23 tons of various missiles and bombs, equivalent to the power of about 40 conventional aircraft.

If North Korea's provocations escalate, U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships may gather in nearby waters of the Korean Peninsula to increase pressure.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet's aircraft carrier "Ronald Reagan" is on standby at the U.S. Forces Japan base in Yokosuka, where the fleet command is located, and the 3rd Fleet's "Abraham Lincoln," based in San Diego, California, is conducting missions in the East China Sea area. The amphibious assault ship "America" is stationed at the U.S. Forces Japan base in Sasebo. When the U.S. Navy carrier strike group operates, it is typically accompanied by 3 to 4 destroyers and more than 2 nuclear-powered submarines.

On the U.S. mainland, the ICBM "Minuteman III" is being prepared. The "Minuteman III," deployed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, has a range of about 10,000 km and can reach Pyongyang within 30 minutes after launch. The "Minuteman III" is a core U.S. nuclear force that is on a different level from North Korea's ICBMs, which have yet to undergo practical verification.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.