03-05-2003, 01:14 AM
Hmmm...not a very pleasing thought, eh? I could see, in the rare event of a two-hemisphere, two-war America, a bit more saber-rattling from anti-American countries, but whom? Israel is perfectly capable of handling Pakistan...Somalia, maybe? Ah, but I'm just pulling names out of a hat here.
Back to the original question, as someone already said, the Japanese "woke a sleeping giant." We ARE still a giant, perhaps even a larger one, but our sleep is deeper now. Even if we have to go into Iraq alone (which is unlikely, given that a number of countries have said they will back us, with or without the UN), NK will most likely have more than one country to deal with, as, I think Occi said. But, (out on a small limb here) even were we required to go it alone in both cases, we ARE the only real superpower at this point. Make no mistake; America has the mightiest military force ever to walk the earth. And should both tinpot dictators want some at once, we'll be waiting. The Marines have already doubled the number of recruits going through training, and called in most of the IRR (inactive ready reserve, a sort of 'half-out-of-active-duty, still on my contract' Marine), and, although I can't say for sure, I suspect the same is true for the other branches. The 6-month enlistee-to-soldier time period is already nearing completion for the first of the post-1441 classes of American warriors. Trust me, ladies and gents, we on the Lounge are not the first to ponder these questions, and the others who were planned for them long before we even caught wind.
A draft? Possible, but unlikely. Americans have grown used to the "volunteer force" mentality, and the public outcry would be a bit loud. Besides, we don't really need one. As others have said, Iraq should be a short war, followed by a long, er, "non-occupation." NK's window of opportunity would be very short-lived, in this case. Any infantryman (read: reservist, or 18year old fresh from AIT) can pull police duty, and hey, maybe we could even get in a peacekeeping force. (Irony, no?) The high-speed, 'storm the beaches' forces would be out of Baghdad and into NK faster than crap through a goose, God help the poor guys, where, once again, we have about a 0.01% chance of having to go it alone. Besides, there are still reservists waiting for the call. Just ask my roommates.
Best case scenario? No war with NK, plenty of help with Iraq. Most likely? No war with NK, a little help with Iraq. We all know the worst case...NK nuking someone (HIGHLY unlikely, but not out of the range of possibility). Only time, and more political maneuvering, will tell.
Back to the original question, as someone already said, the Japanese "woke a sleeping giant." We ARE still a giant, perhaps even a larger one, but our sleep is deeper now. Even if we have to go into Iraq alone (which is unlikely, given that a number of countries have said they will back us, with or without the UN), NK will most likely have more than one country to deal with, as, I think Occi said. But, (out on a small limb here) even were we required to go it alone in both cases, we ARE the only real superpower at this point. Make no mistake; America has the mightiest military force ever to walk the earth. And should both tinpot dictators want some at once, we'll be waiting. The Marines have already doubled the number of recruits going through training, and called in most of the IRR (inactive ready reserve, a sort of 'half-out-of-active-duty, still on my contract' Marine), and, although I can't say for sure, I suspect the same is true for the other branches. The 6-month enlistee-to-soldier time period is already nearing completion for the first of the post-1441 classes of American warriors. Trust me, ladies and gents, we on the Lounge are not the first to ponder these questions, and the others who were planned for them long before we even caught wind.
A draft? Possible, but unlikely. Americans have grown used to the "volunteer force" mentality, and the public outcry would be a bit loud. Besides, we don't really need one. As others have said, Iraq should be a short war, followed by a long, er, "non-occupation." NK's window of opportunity would be very short-lived, in this case. Any infantryman (read: reservist, or 18year old fresh from AIT) can pull police duty, and hey, maybe we could even get in a peacekeeping force. (Irony, no?) The high-speed, 'storm the beaches' forces would be out of Baghdad and into NK faster than crap through a goose, God help the poor guys, where, once again, we have about a 0.01% chance of having to go it alone. Besides, there are still reservists waiting for the call. Just ask my roommates.
Best case scenario? No war with NK, plenty of help with Iraq. Most likely? No war with NK, a little help with Iraq. We all know the worst case...NK nuking someone (HIGHLY unlikely, but not out of the range of possibility). Only time, and more political maneuvering, will tell.
Welcome to the Lounge. Hope you brought your portable bomb shelter. - Roland