(04-12-2013 02:25 AM)Pyrizzo Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 02:18 AM)RobertN Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 08:10 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  Time to cut a deal with the Chinese and take the Little Troll out before he starts something that causes immense damage to the region.

Lawmaker drops bombshell: North Korea may have nuclear missiles

An unclassified Pentagon report not yet released to the public suggests that North Korea can arm missiles with nuclear warheads, a lawmaker revealed Thursday.

The results of a classified Defense Intelligence Agency report indicate that “North Korea now has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles.”

That was the bombshell out of a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

It came when Rep. Doug Lamborn ® of Colorado began quoting from what he said was an unclassified version of the DIA report, which has not yet been made public.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, the nation’s top military officer, appeared caught off-guard. The Pentagon has in recent days sought to strike a balance between words of warning to the North and attempts to calm the situation. General Dempsey's reaction suggested that he was not pleased to have the DIA assessment made public, as it could further stoke anxieties over what is already a enormously tense international standoff.

Representative Lamborn read from the report toward the end of a defense budget hearing.

“They say, ‘DIA assess with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles. However, the reliability will be low.’ General, would you agree with that assessment by DIA?” he asked

“I can’t touch that one,” Dempsey answered.

The problem was that the report hasn’t been released, he said. “Some of it’s classified, some of it’s unclassified.”

Lamborn tried asking the question again, heedless of the sensitivity of the topic. “This is public; this is unclassified, so I can make it public.”

“And your question is do I agree with the DIA’s assessment?” Dempsey repeated.

“Yes,” Lamborn responded.

“Well,” Dempsey answered, “You said it’s not publicly released, so I choose not to comment on it.”

Only a day ago, Dempsey told reporters during a Pentagon briefing that “the proximity of the North Koreans to achieving a miniaturization of a nuclear device on a ballistic missile ... is a classified matter.”

If North Korea does have nuclear-armed missiles, it could strike South Korea, Japan, or US forces in Japan. It could perhaps also hit Guam, but Hawaii and the mainland US are out of the North's missile range, according to US intelligence estimates.

North Korea is expected to launch a missile soon as a show of defiance against the West. The administration said Thursday there is no indication that the missiles readied for launch are nuclear-armed, media reports said.

The exchange between Lamborn and Dempsey was not the only enlightening information about North Korea to emerge from Capitol HIll Thursday. At a different hearing, senior US intelligence officials were sharing some of the most telling details yet to emerge about the personality and motivations of the North's new young leader, Kim Jong-un.

They speculated on what, precisely, Mr. Kim’s reasons might be for what has largely been seen as a reckless ratcheting up of tensions in the region – behavior, officials divulged, that appears to be exasperating even Kim’s closest ally, China.

It seems, for starters, that Kim does not have a great deal of emotional intelligence, US officials indicated during testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

“Unlike his father, I think he’s underestimating the Chinese frustration with him and their discomfiture with his behavior,” said James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

“He impresses me as impetuous – not as inhibited as his father became about taking aggressive action,” he added. “The pattern with his father was to be provocative and then to sort of back off. We haven’t seen that yet with Kim.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/20...8page%29/2

Wow. Amazing how it is a warhawk rightwinger that leaks the info to make things a hell of a lot more complicated for the people working on plans and responses to NK. I really believe that the Republican party WANTS another war.

So it's ok for the White House to leak "classified" info and its not ok for the house to leak "unclassified" info?

You're more disturbed than I thought.

Have I ever said it was ok to leak classified info? I don't think so. I do believe that, while unclassified, the information is of sensitive nature(especially when dealing with the country) and should be treated as such. If he wanted to know about it, he could write or talk to the man rather than blurt it out in public.

(04-12-2013 02:54 AM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Honestly, I don't see Kimmy or his generals ever using this weapon. I'm pretty sure he knows that if he uses it, his time as dictator will end fairly quickly. This is all a ploy to remain relevant in current events. I seriously doubt Kimmy wants a war. I could be 100% wrong and he hits Guam tomorrow. I honestly tend to think that sanctions really feeds into his drive to make idle threats. Ending the sanctions, and working on trade relations may just be our best solution. I may be naive in saying that, but firing the first shot in yet another war isn't the greatest solution either.

My fear is that the nut believes all the horse$hit he has been fed all his life. What if he actually believes he is some sort of "supreme leader", and that north korea is really "all that"?

(04-12-2013 11:22 AM)JerryJeff Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 02:54 AM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Honestly, I don't see Kimmy or his generals ever using this weapon. I'm pretty sure he knows that if he uses it, his time as dictator will end fairly quickly. This is all a ploy to remain relevant in current events. I seriously doubt Kimmy wants a war. I could be 100% wrong and he hits Guam tomorrow. I honestly tend to think that sanctions really feeds into his drive to make idle threats. Ending the sanctions, and working on trade relations may just be our best solution. I may be naive in saying that, but firing the first shot in yet another war isn't the greatest solution either.

My fear is that the nut believes all the horse$hit he has been fed all his life. What if he actually believes he is some sort of "supreme leader", and that north korea is really "all that"?

He went to school in Switzerland. I highly doubt he really believes NK is "all that".

(04-12-2013 11:27 AM)RobertN Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 11:22 AM)JerryJeff Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 02:54 AM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Honestly, I don't see Kimmy or his generals ever using this weapon. I'm pretty sure he knows that if he uses it, his time as dictator will end fairly quickly. This is all a ploy to remain relevant in current events. I seriously doubt Kimmy wants a war. I could be 100% wrong and he hits Guam tomorrow. I honestly tend to think that sanctions really feeds into his drive to make idle threats. Ending the sanctions, and working on trade relations may just be our best solution. I may be naive in saying that, but firing the first shot in yet another war isn't the greatest solution either.

My fear is that the nut believes all the horse$hit he has been fed all his life. What if he actually believes he is some sort of "supreme leader", and that north korea is really "all that"?

He went to school in Switzerland. I highly doubt he really believes NK is "all that".

Could have been a monastery for idiots son's in Switzerland. Eating pudding pops and playing with Heidi doesn't necessarily give him a world wide sophisticated knowledge of that world.

Supposedly the launches are set for April 15, 2013-- Kim Il Sung's Birthday.

Expect 2 MRBMs and a bunch of Scuds being launched almost simultaneously.

The SBX Radar Platform is supposedly around Adak in the Aleutians Its self-propelled with a max speed of 8 kts, but with a Tug it can make 14 kts. It left Pearl Harbor on April 1.

(04-12-2013 12:40 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  Supposedly the launches are set for April 15, 2013-- Kim Il Sung's Birthday.

Expect 2 MRBMs and a bunch of Scuds being launched almost simultaneously.

The SBX Radar Platform is supposedly around Adak in the Aleutians Its self-propelled with a max speed of 8 kts, but with a Tug it can make 14 kts. It left Pearl Harbor on April 1.

Talk about a slow boat to China...