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Editorial

The U.S. military has begun the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). This is a meaningless game in which the military services predict doom unless they receive major boosts in funding. Real issues are avoided while the media and Congress are distracted by phony debates, like the need to fight two "Major Regional Conflicts" simultaneously. Pentagon showmen argue that if the USA becomes involved in a conflict, some unknown bad guy will take advantage and start another, so we must have forces to fight two wars. Using this logic, the USA must be ready for three conflicts, because if engaged in two, some other bad guy could start a third conflict. Then, what about a fourth conflict, or fifth?

This debate is pointless because future conflicts are unknown. It doesn't matter if the USA becomes involved in two, three or four conflicts, available resources will be divided up depending on the situation at hand. The ludicrous part of the QDR is the "requirement" to defend South Korea. The big secret is that no American military resources are required because the South Korean military is five times more powerful than North Korea. South Korea has more than twice the population, thirty times its economic power, and spends three times more on its military each year. South Korean forces are much better trained, equipped, and supplied than the rag tag conscripts in the North; who spend much of their time harvesting rice. South Korea has mined and built concrete fortifications along the mountainous DMZ to make a rapid breakthrough impossible. More importantly, China and Russia trade heavily with South Korea and provide no help to the fragile regime in the North.

This is shocking to most Americans, even those in the U.S. military. For fifty years Americans have known the image of the fearless North Korean superman. The onset of the Korean war is often used as an example of peacetime neglect of our military. In reality, the U.S. military recovered from total surprise, mobilized reserves, deployed a field Army to the other side of the globe, conducted a huge amphibious landing, and routed the well-equipped North Korean Army, all within four months. Unfortunately, this impressive achievement has been contorted to justify a large peacetime American army and hundreds of overseas bases.

The U.S. Army knows the North Korean threat is bogus, which is why it has Burger Kings at camps near the DMZ, but no roadside bomb shelters in case of attack. South Korea is unconcerned, it spends less of its GDP on defense than the USA and has made the DMZ its top tourist destination. However, South Korea profits from $5 billion a year in U.S. military spending, so it works with the U.S. military/industrial establishment to perpetuate the mythical North Korean threat. North Korea is unstable and could commit suicide by attacking South Korea. However, no American military forces are needed to defend South Korea, and blatant lies to the contrary represent the disgusting corruption in the Pentagon which poses a greater threat to American national security.

Carlton Meyer editorG2mil@Gmail.com

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January 2001 Articles

have been returned to the Members Library

Letters - comments from G2mil readers

The Mythical North Korean Threat - preparing to fight the last, last, last war

Sub-Atomic Bombs - huge conventional bombs

Submarine Gunboats - put guns back on submarines

M2 Bradley Exploding Coffin - a horrible vehicle

Fixing the OIWC - the U.S. Army should not combine two weapons

G2mil Library

Previous G2mil - December 2000 issue

Library Tour - visit parts of G2mil's military research library

Library Entrance - members only