N. Korea’s bad behavior: More than smack talk? - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

N. Korea’s bad behavior: More than smack talk?

North Korea has been flashing its might through nuclear tests and bellicose messages in which it claims to nullify the armistice that has existed with its southern neighbor since the end of the Korean War.

North Korea won’t be picking up calls on the hotline that connects it with South Korea anymore, and leaders claim to have torn up the 60-year-old cease-fire that exists between the two countries. Some experts don’t believe the country’s actions will move beyond rhetoric. Nevertheless, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is beefing up U.S. missile defense systems by adding more ground-based interceptors in Alaska following North Korea’s recent threats of nuclear strikes on Washington.

What you need to know:

• Joint exercise hits a nerve. More than 3,000 U.S. troops are working with 10,000 of their South Korean counterparts in Key Resolve, a 20-day exercise that seeks to strengthen the readiness of the combined forces. It happens every year, but North Korean officials are more vocal than usual in opposing it, after the United Nations imposed sanctions on the country following a series of rocket and nuclear tests.

• Troop levels holding steady. The Army dominates the U.S. presence in South Korea, with 20,000 soldiers based there. About 8,000 airmen also are stationed there, and Marines and sailors make up the other 500 troops. There are no immediate plans to boost those numbers, said Jennifer Buschick, chief of public information with U.S. Forces Korea.

And Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies with the Council on Foreign Relations, said unless a conflict breaks out, it’s unlikely there will be additional troop augmentation. “One could imagine there might be new temporary deployments under certain circumstances as a signaling mechanism,” he said. “But as long as the North Koreans don’t initiate anything, I think we can assume everything in place will remain the same.”

• Sequester byproduct. When the Navy canceled the deployment of a carrier strike group due to budget woes, Lt. Gen. John Wissler, deputy commandant for programs and resources with Headquarters Marine Corps, said an Iraqi governor he befriended while serving there expressed shock to him via email. “And he’s our friend,” Wissler said. “Imagine what our enemies are thinking.”

Snyder said that while it’s impossible to know exactly what North Korean leaders are thinking, it’s likely that they feel they’re in a low-threat environment due to sequestration. And that means they might be freer with their rhetoric, he said.

• Intel community on guard. James Clapper, director of national intelligence, said during a March 12 hearing on Capitol Hill that North Korea’s recent actions pose a serious threat to the U.S. and its interests. Clapper said he is “very concerned about what they might do.” But Snyder said it appears that traditional deterrence methods are working and that, for now, North Korean leaders know the U.S. will respond if it must.

• Awaiting China’s response. North Korea’s nuclear test puts greater pressure on China to deal with its ally, Snyder said. But part of that debate includes how China would react if the U.S. placed more troops in the region to deal with North Korea. China, he said, might react negatively. That is something to watch, he said.