Alwaght- The North Korean army can defeat the US military and its allies if war broke out, a former top US Air Force commander in the region has reportedly claimed.
American troops “are vastly outnumbered by North Korean forces, as well as [allied] forces that will conduct the overwhelming majority of the fighting”, according to retired Lt Gen Jan-Marc Jouas.
"The 28,500 U.S. Armed Forces personnel in South Korea are vastly outnumbered by North Korean forces, as well as [South Korean] forces that will conduct the overwhelming majority of the fighting. Unlike every conflict since the last Korean War, we will not be able to build up our forces prior to the start of hostilities," Jouas wrote in a November 7 to several Democratic members of Congress. It's estimated North Korea has roughly 1.2 million troops.
They would also face problems in getting reinforcements or new supplies, he asserted, saying fresh troops “may well find their bases subject to attack by conventional or chemical weapons, which will further delay their entry into the war”.
He added: “An enormous casualty and evacuee crisis will develop and include over 100,000 non-combatant Americans, many of who will turn to US forces to get them off the peninsula.”
US Defense Secretary James Mattis has admitted that the results of a Korean Peninsula conflict would be “catastrophic”.
Lt Gen Jouas’ letter comes at a time of heightened tension between the US and North Korea, and as US President Donald Trump is in the middle of a tour of the Asia-Pacific.
However, Trump appears to have introduced a hint of a softer tone to his statements on North Korea after realizing that a military flare-up with Pyongyang would be disastrous for the region and the world in general.
The tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened after increased provocations by the US which includes military drills and deployment of warships and submarines in the region.
Pyongyang insists that developing its military defenses including nuclear weapons is important to counter incessant provocations by the US including a possible nuclear aggression.
