The
only way to locate and destroy with complete certainty all components
of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is through a ground
invasion.
That
blunt assessment from the Pentagon is in response to a letter from
two Democratic congressmen asking about casualty assessments in a
conflict with North Korea.
Rear
Adm. Michael J. Dumont of the Joint Staff offered the assessment in
response to a letter from Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Ruben
Gallego of Arizona.
In
a joint statement issued Saturday, 15 Democratic lawmakers and one
Republican — all military veterans — called the assessment that a
ground invasion would be required to destroy the North’s nuclear
arsenal “deeply disturbing” and said that such an action “could
result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just
the first few days of fighting.”
The
statement goes on to say that entering into a protracted and massive
ground war with North Korea would be disastrous for U.S. troops and
allies.
“There
are no good military options for North Korea. Invading North Korea
could result in a catastrophic loss of lives for U.S. troops and U.S.
civilians in South Korea,” the statement reads. “It could
kill millions of South Koreans and put troops and civilians in Guam
and Japan at risk.”
The
revelation comes as President Donald Trump starts his Asia trip,
where the subject of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions is expected to
be high on the president’s priority list.
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