The rhetoric from North Korea is becoming more intense, as Kim Jong Un seems to be trying to provoke war and is moving ahead with his nuclear and ballistic missile programs. North Korean missiles now can reach US military bases and the entire region seems to be preparing for a war that no one else wants. Trump sent a carrier task force that docked in South Korea last month in a show of force, trying to deter North Korea, and that seemed to have caused a lull in their aggressive statements for a time, but now they are ramping up again.
With a third naval strike force on its way to the western Pacific, it appears that if this isn’t enough to deter North Korea, a strategic strike may be imminent. Yet that poses dangers as well, since China backs North Korea and there is a risk that any strike on North Korea could draw us into war with China. The Pentagon is testing a new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor (THAAD) system but North Korean technology is advancing to where there could be little warning of a strike.