Norths

It we count a few days ago. There are military infrastructures so scarce and sophisticated that there are barely a handful of them on the entire planet. Some are designed to detect missiles at gigantic distances and cost a fortune, others are installed in allied countries thousands of kilometers from where they are manufactured. When several of those pieces disappear from the board At the same time, the security of entire regions may begin to depend on movements occurring on the other side of the world. A war that eats up the shields of the planet. The offensive against Iran has triggered a strategic domino effect that goes far beyond the Middle East. After the Iranian attacks on US critical infrastructureWashington met an unexpected problem: Several of its most sophisticated warning and tracking systems (those unique radars capable of detecting and coordinating defense against ballistic missiles) were left damaged or destroyeddrastically reducing surveillance capacity. Of the eight most advanced radars of this type that the United States possesses, four were offside. That means another similar strike could leave Washington virtually blind to new waves of missiles or drones. Faced with this risk, the priority became protecting the US bases deployed in the Gulf and the Levant. The result has been a decision that reveals the extent to which the war against Iran is straining the global defense architecture: the United States has begun to withdraw Asian anti-missile systems to reinforce its shield in the Middle East. Plan B. The solution adopted by the Pentagon has been to move pieces from one of the most sensitive boards on the planet: the korean peninsula. For years, the THAAD system deployed in South Korea was presented as the key piece to intercept North Korean missiles before they reached Seoul or US bases. That decision sparked protests localities and tensions with China and Russia due to the powerful radar associated with the system. Now, almost a decade later, parts of that shield are being disassembled and loaded on transport planes heading to the Middle East. And not only that, because the transfer is not limited to THAAD. It is also studied move Patriot batteries and other defensive assets towards US bases in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates to protect them from possible Iranian retaliation with drones and missiles. For Seoul, the scene is extremely disturbing: Defenses designed to stop attacks from the North are being sent thousands of miles away to sustain a war on another continent. THAAD The strategic cost of a war. They remembered in the Guardian that the withdrawal of these systems has generated a wave of concern in South Korea and Japan, two of the pillars of architecture American military in Asia. South Korea hosts about 28,500 U.S. troops and relies heavily on Washington’s defensive umbrella to balance North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Although the South Korean government insists that its deterrence capacity remains intact, many analysts they fear that Pyongyang interprets the move as an opportunity to test the limits of the alliance. Japan, for its part, observes with the same concern how American destroyers based in Yokosuka move towards the Arabian Sea, while in Tokyo the debate grows on whether US bases in the country could end up involved in conflicts outside the Asian theater. The question that floats in both capitals is uncomfortable: to what extent the war against Iran is draining military resources that were intended to contain North Korea or China. Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile on display during South Korea’s 65th military anniversary parade Pyongyang and a lesson. They remembered this week on CNN that, in North Korea, events have reinforced a conviction that has been guiding its strategy for decades: the nuclear weapon It is the only real life insurance in front of Washington. The destiny of leaders who abandoned or never developed nuclear weapons (from Gaddafi to the recent bombings against Iran that ended with his supreme leader) is constantly repeated in North Korean propaganda as a warning. For Kim Jong Un, the conclusion seems simple, because giving up the bomb means opening the door to operations regime change. Therefore, while the United States focuses its attention on the Middle East, Pyongyang accelerates its nuclear program and continues to develop missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to the mainland United States. North Korea already possesses, in fact, dozens of warheads and enough material to produce many more, which completely changes the risk calculus for any power contemplating direct military intervention. The new nuclear “toy”. In parallel, the North has presented one of the most ambitious projects of its military modernization: the destroyer Choe Hyona 5,000-ton ship that represents the most important leap in its navy in decades. During its first sea trials, the ship launched strategic cruise missiles under the direct supervision of Kim Jong Un and displayed a battery of up to 104 missiles of different types thanks to an expanded vertical launch system. The regime intends to build at least ten ships of this class in the coming years and convert its navy into a force capable of projecting power beyond the peninsula. The program also includes the progressive integration of nuclear weapons into naval forces, a change that would expand the platforms from which Pyongyang could launch nuclear attacks. Kim and the Iranian example. The war in Iran has also reopened a broader strategic debate in Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un and his inner circle are analyzing each phase of the American operation: from the ability to locate enemy leaders to the speed with which Washington can pass from diplomacy to action military. In that sense, possibly the memory of the failure of Hanoi summit In 2019 it continues to weigh in that calculation. At the time, Kim believed a deal with Trump was close and returned home with nothing. Since then, North Korea has strengthened its association with Russiasending ammunition and troops for the war in Ukraine in exchange for fuel, food and possibly military technology. However, the lack … Read more