North Korea just launched a ballistic missile over Japan

[Green Arrow]

That was the calculus before NK could hit the US mainland. Now that they can, it may very well be irresponsible for a US president to not act. San Francisco being turned into a glass parking lot is unthinkable. Yet, a properly timed EMP attack could utterly destroy the US.

There are a multitude of options between "do nothing" and "use nukes."

[Peter1469]

There are a multitude of options between "do nothing" and "use nukes."

We don't need to use nukes. A massive conventional attack could turn the place into ash. Plus we have kinetic weapons that need a real world test.

[MisterVeritis]

While the closet neocon in me agrees some limited military action needs to be taken, there's no such thing as "small scale" nuclear warfare and it shouldn't be taken by us.

What do you mean, there is no such thing as a small-scale nuclear war? We can size a war to whatever size we need to win.

Our policy for North Korea and Iran (China as well) should be regime change, the utter destruction of the present order. We have military, economic, and political power to bring to bear. We need to learn from past presidents. Jefferson conducted economic warfare against Great Britain. He was not successful. Not long ago Reagan successfully collapsed the Soviet Union. The Reagan model is the winning model. We need a sustained, across the board military buildup and modernization. We need to revitalize our war-winning doctrine for low to medium-sized wars. We need to use all facets of economic war against those three nations and against any other nation who trades with them. We need to isolate them politically, economically, and threaten everything they hold dear militarily.

And then we will win without firing a shot.

[MisterVeritis]

We don't need to use nukes. A massive conventional attack could turn the place into ash. Plus we have kinetic weapons that need a real world test.

I disagree. We need to add a significant number of right-sized weapons to be used by the theater commander as appropriate.

[MisterVeritis]

I didn't say the US. I expect China to do something.

What would compel China to do something they are not already doing?

[jimmyz]

We don't need to use nukes. A massive conventional attack could turn the place into ash. Plus we have kinetic weapons that need a real world test.

Do you think Rods From the Gods is operational?

[Peter1469]

I disagree. We need to add a significant number of right-sized weapons to be used by the theater commander as appropriate.

We have kinetic weapons that do the damage of tactical nukes. No radiation to tick off the rest of the world.We need to spend money to boost those programs.

[Peter1469]

Do you think Rods From the Gods is operational?

I wouldn't bet against it. We certainly have the ability to have them operational.

[MisterVeritis]

We have kinetic weapons that do the damage of tactical nukes. No radiation to tick off the rest of the world.We need to spend money to boost those programs.

Whether or not we use the weapons is immaterial to having the capability. We can do both. And we should.

[Ransom]

What would compel China to do something they are not already doing?

The re-militarization of Japan in response to NK nukes.