This post is very speculative, and I hope I do not breach any forum guidelines.
Long ago, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, I read an extraordinary article in, I think, the magazine Scientific American, which suggested that World War Three could be fought exclusively with cruise missiles, armed exclusively with conventional warheads, and guided by on board altimeters recognising the pattern of heights of the land below them. The accuracy of this guidance system at the time was, I think, about 100 metres, so that a million cruise missiles, launched in, say, half a day, could destroy Soviet military capability and send the Soviet economy back to pre-industrial level.
The accuracy of cruise missiles is even better today, and I wonder about a pre-emptive strike against the North Korean military only, leaving civilian industry and most infrastructure intact. I repeat, a strike against the North Korean military only. Say ten thousand cruise missiles, armed exclusively with conventional warheads. Satellite imagery tells us the location of North Korea’s nuclear capability, and army, navy and air force assets.
The only powers who could consider such a strike are the USA, Russia and China. The US faces a sea barrier, but Russia and China, acting together, could move five thousand cruise missiles each into forested areas not too far from their borders with North Korea, and strike in unison.
A strike against North Korea’s nuclear assets must be completely effective. I realise of course, that such a strike, even if militarily possible, is politically impossible.
Long ago, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, I read an extraordinary article in, I think, the magazine Scientific American, which suggested that World War Three could be fought exclusively with cruise missiles, armed exclusively with conventional warheads, and guided by on board altimeters recognising the pattern of heights of the land below them. The accuracy of this guidance system at the time was, I think, about 100 metres, so that a million cruise missiles, launched in, say, half a day, could destroy Soviet military capability and send the Soviet economy back to pre-industrial level.
The accuracy of cruise missiles is even better today, and I wonder about a pre-emptive strike against the North Korean military only, leaving civilian industry and most infrastructure intact. I repeat, a strike against the North Korean military only. Say ten thousand cruise missiles, armed exclusively with conventional warheads. Satellite imagery tells us the location of North Korea’s nuclear capability, and army, navy and air force assets.
The only powers who could consider such a strike are the USA, Russia and China. The US faces a sea barrier, but Russia and China, acting together, could move five thousand cruise missiles each into forested areas not too far from their borders with North Korea, and strike in unison.
A strike against North Korea’s nuclear assets must be completely effective. I realise of course, that such a strike, even if militarily possible, is politically impossible.