Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke of a secret plan for the North Korean issue. The United States would have a military option against North Korea capable of neutralizing the latter's devastating armed retaliation against neighboring South Korea. The secretary held a press conference in front of Pentagon correspondents where he explained that the US does not intend to shoot down the ballistic missiles tested by Pyongyang, unless they are aimed at targets of the United States or its allies. Regarding the hypothesis of deploying US tactical nuclear weapons on South Korean soil, Mattis stated that Washington is engaged in an “open dialogue with our allies on all matters. We are not just friends, but trusted allies, and for this reason we discuss every matter among ourselves. The main brake on a hypothetical US military offensive against North Korea is the enormous conventional artillery firepower deployed by Pyongyang on the border with South Korea, which in the event of hostilities would be able to strike the capital of that country.
13600 cannons ready to cancel Seoul
Pyongyang's military equipment is deemed obsolete, but that would not prevent it from unleashing a devastating artillery barrage on Seoul. If a conflict broke out, neither the United States military nor the South Korean forces could hope to eliminate this threat, estimated at 13600 guns of different calibers equal (in theory) to half a million grenades in just under sixty. minutes. North Korea's most powerful tool is artillery, only partially deployed on the border with South Korea. However, Pyongyang's artillery is plagued by a high rate of malfunctions due to indigenous ammunition and poor unit training. . According to Stratfor, 25 percent of North Korea's artillery ammunition does not explode on target. Doubts also about the rate of fire and the accuracy of the systems.
The sustained fire rate is paramount for artillery systems: the greater the number of hits on the target as soon as possible before being identified and destroyed. Different point on modern long-range systems, such as the 300 mm multiple rocket launcher with a presumed 125 mile range: for power would match the Russian BM-30. Identified during the last military parade, has been mass-produced by the regime for two years. North Korea could then hit Seoul, which is only at 35 miles from the demilitarized area with a heavy barrage fire. Tactically speaking, an MLRS is more practical and economical than a missile.
The nuclear aspect of the missile head could be safely replaced by artillery grenades combined with chemical weapons. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the North Reserve is oscillating between 2500 and 5000 tons of chemical agents. The country would be able to produce nerve agents such as Sarin and VX. The latter are considered to be the center of chemical weapons production in the country. If Pyongyang used such assets and exposed them to discovery and counter-battery fire, they would certainly be used in the indiscriminate targeting of the capital and its suburbs.
Missiles for retaliation
Finally, more than a thousand would be the ballistic missiles in the North Korean arsenal, including the Scuds and the long-range Nodong and Taepodong indigenous versions, which could potentially hit any part of South Korea. Ballistic missiles would provide significant power of additional direct fire against Seoul and the US military stations beyond the Korean peninsula, as in Japan, for example. Pyongyang could certainly embark on tested different performance up to a high potential Kt with unconventional explosives. Missiles, due to the shortcomings in current driving systems, would certainly be directed against urban centers as a retaliation act. Unlike the use of a potential attack with nuclear warheads. The estimates are discordant. Probably two, maybe five already embarked on the Nodong. However, a single nuclear attack on a South Korean city center would lead to a catastrophic disaster and would irreparably push the Ohio light and heavy line of the United States, still in launch position. The unconventional retaliation of North Korea would trigger a day-to-day context with unimaginable consequences.