Most likely in response to recent provocative actions by North Korea, the United States and South Korea are making preparations for their largest ever annual joint military exercise, set to take place in March.
An estimated 300,000 troops will take part in the exercise, which will include the use of special operations forces and will simulate a “preemptive strike” intended to decapitate the leadership of the rogue nation, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Of course, this has outraged North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who has in turn issued his own threats of launching preemptive strikes against both South Korea and the U.S.
A statement on state-run media from the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army declared, “All the powerful strategic and tactical strike means of our revolutionary armed forces will go into preemptive and just operation to beat back the enemy forces to the last man if there is a slight sign of their special operation forces and equipment moving to carry out the so-called ‘beheading operation’ and ‘high-density strike’.”
The North made clear that its first target would be the president and leadership of their neighbor to the south, though they also claimed that U.S. military bases and assets in Asia and mainland America would be secondary targets for their missiles and military.
While the inflammatory statements have caused some concern, they are nothing new, as North Korea typically raises tensions with provocative actions whenever the U.S. and South Korea hold their annual joint military exercises.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military has been steadily increasing its presence in and around the Korean peninsula, deploying more troops, submarines and fighter jets, as well as proceeding with talks to deploy the advanced THAAD missile defense system to help protect our ally.
It remains to be seen if the North is just blustering as they normally do, or if they really intend to spark a renewal of the long-dormant, but never officially ended Korean War.
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