The frequency of the maneuvering nuclear war against North Korea has increased since the Biden administration. Recently, the major U.S. military reconnaissance assets have been deployed around the Korean Peninsula. According to the military authorities on the 16th, The RC-135S Cobra Ball, a US Air Force special reconnaissance aircraft, appeared in the West Sea on February 3rd. The Air Force RC-135S is known for detecting the signs of missile launches, trajectories from a long distance and collecting the related electronic data. The missile-tracking ship USNS Howard Lorenzen launched into the West Sea during the Lunar New Year holidays of South Korea. The USNS Lorenzen is installed with an X-band and S-band radars for the detection and tracking of ballistic missile launches. Around the same time, the E-6B Mercury, which is an airborne command and communications relay deployed on the Taean coast of South Korea, and the Ohio-class nuclear submarine SSBN-733 Nevada and Pennsylvania, appeared in the Western Pacific Ocean. What does the fact that the nuclear war exercise against North Korea was conducted tell us? The nuclear war crisis on the Korean Peninsula is escalating unprecedentedly.
The Biden administration is attracting pro-American countries and intensifying the anti-North Korea and anti-China invading scheme. The US held the meeting of the defense ministers between members of the NATO on the 17th, the meeting of the foreign ministers between the Quad nations on the 18th, the meeting of G7 summit, and the Munich Security Conference on the 19th. The operation “Freedom of Navigation” against China and the joint military exercises of Quad nations against North Korea and China were conducted during the meeting of the Quad in the second half of last year. These facts show that these successive international meetings of the US are part of the hostile policy towards North Korea and China.
On the 17th, the Biden administration confirmed its hostile policy, saying, “We still remain committed to the principles of denuclearization,” “We are committed to addressing together closely with the allies and partners including South Korea, Japan, Indo-Pacific Region.”
The U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise in March is more dangerous as they take place amid the intensification of the maneuvering nuclear war against North Korea. The joint military exercise scheduled for March 8th once again revealed that there was no willingness for OPCON (wartime operational control) as the US denied the position of the South Korea “the full operational capability verification and evaluation for OPCON.” The world knows that the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise is an aggressive exercise aimed at “taking out North Korean leader” by the operation plan 5015 unlike the term “defensive and annual” exercise. This is the reason why the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea should be stopped immediately, which leads to the war crisis and national division. Nevertheless, the US and South Korean authorities are planning to reach an increase of at least 13% from the previous cost-sharing agreement rather than the withdrawal of the US troops.
The Biden administration’s hostility towards North Korea is also shown through the remarks. On February 5th, the US Department of State made a reckless remark, “North Corea’s willingness to spread illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs and related advanced technologies poses a serious threat to international peace and security.” The US strategic commander blatantly showed the aggression, saying that the “US is no longer impossible to use nuclear weapons.” Meanwhile, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff announced in the 2019 Nuclear Operational Report, “The use of nuclear weapons can create an environment for regaining a decisive victory and restoring strategic balance,” “The use of nuclear weapons fundamentally changes the war situation and provide conditions for commanders to win battles.” and “limited use of nuclear weapons during the battles” which is still in effect today.
The maneuvering nuclear war against North Korea is even more dangerous as the Biden administration has to resolve the crisis caused by the unstable social situation and political conflict in the US since the US presidential election. Assuming the reins of government without overwhelming its political opposition forces, the Biden administration is accelerating a scheme for the invasion on the Korean peninsula and Asia in order to escape from its risk. Particularly, from its beginning, the Biden administration has conspicuously carried out hostile maneuvers against North Korea and war exercises as if it were real war. Therefore, the possibility of nuclear war on the Korean peninsula is increasingly rising. In this situation, US-South Korea joint military exercise is more likely than ever to become a real war. The current dangerous situation can be overcome only when US-South Korea joint military exercises immediately stop and US troops in South Korea are withdrawn.
February 27th, 2021
The Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific
