REP LIEU LEADS 16 VETERAN MEMBER STATEMENT ON DANGERS OF GROUND INVASION IN NORTH KOREA

[riversedge]

REP LIEU LEADS 16 VETERAN MEMBER STATEMENT ON DANGERS OF GROUND INVASION IN NORTH KOREA

https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-lieu-leads-16-veteran-member-statement-dangers-ground-invasion-north



November 4, 2017


Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued a bipartisan joint statement with fellow veterans Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rep. Carbajal (D-CA), Rep. Conyers (D-MI), Rep. DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Brown (D-MD), Rep. Rush (D-IL), Rep. Jones (R-NC), Rep. Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Thompson (D-CA), Del. Sablan (D-Mariana Islands), Rep. Gabbard (D-HI), Rep. Scott (D-VA), Rep. Moulton (D-MA) on a potential ground invasion in North Korea. The statement follows a CRS report and a letter from the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressing questions raised by Reps. Lieu and Gallego about the Pentagon’s plan for military action against North Korea.

In the statement, the Members write:

“The Joint Chiefs of Staff has now confirmed that the only way to destroy North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is through a ground invasion. That is deeply disturbing and could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting.

As Veterans, we have defended this nation in war and we remain committed to this country’s security. We also understand that entering into a protracted and massive ground war with North Korea would be disastrous for U.S. troops and our allies. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, it appears, agree. Their assessment underscores what we’ve known all along: There are no good military options for North Korea. Invading North Korea could result in a catastrophic loss of lives for U.S. troops and U.S. civilians in South Korea. It could kill millions of South Koreans and put troops and civilians in Guam and Japan at risk. The Joint Chiefs said they have no reason to believe North Korea would resist using their stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons. It is our intent to have a full public accounting of the potential cost of war, so the American people understand the commitment we would be making as a nation if we were to pursue military action.

A nonpartisan report by the Congressional Research Service indicates conflict on the peninsula could impact as many as 25 million people on either side of the border, including more than 100,000 U.S. citizens. We must pursue every other option before even considering a massive ground invasion. The Administration has also failed to articulate any plans to prevent the military conflict from expanding beyond the Korean Peninsula and to manage what happens after the conflict is over. We’re still engaged in the longest war in U.S. history in Afghanistan with no end in sight.

With that in mind, the thought of sending troops into harm’s way and expending resources on another potentially unwinnable war is chilling. The President needs to stop making provocative statements that hinder diplomatic options and put American troops further at risk.

The Joint Chiefs’ assessment and the CRS report clearly demonstrate that every diplomatic and economic option must be exhausted before military options are considered. If President Trump does intend to pursue a military option against North Korea, he must come to Congress as required by our Constitution. The stakes are too high and the potential outcome too grave for President Trump to violate his constitutional duty to come to Congress to authorize and oversee use of force.”

Link to tweet

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[dalton99a]

1. Uday and Qusay should lead the charge

[Not Ruth]

2. They said it best in The Princess Bride

[Iliyah]

3. Distraction, deflection, look at me I'm protecting America!

Meanwhile our military both men and women, many will die. These people in t-rump and his administration and GOP congress are sick.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Have we forgotten what happened the last time we invaded Korea? Sure, we won...

sort of, but at what cost?

That was a UN action, and we had over a dozen countries backing us-- how could we put 400,000 or so troops there now without a draft? China stopped us at the Yalu (yeah, yeah, I know MacArthur wanted to fight on...)-- what would they do now? And they have a small border with Russia, which could be more of a threat than China.

This clown is drooling to drop a nuke somewhere, and Korea would be just the place.

2,500,000 civilians killed or wounded last time out.

[Not Ruth]

5. Or when we went against Russia and China in Vietnam, we lost a pointless ground war bigly

[Iliyah]

6. North Korea won

War declaration is still in place. The USA still has troops on the boarder between NK & SK. SK is always on notice of possible invasion from NK.

[Not Ruth]

8. The US has never won a land war in Asia

[flamingdem]

7. Excellent leadership by Lieu

[Rhiannon12866]

9. He really is excellent! Ted Lieu's "Cheat Sheet" for Trump's Asia Trip:

Link to tweet

[Lee-Lee]

10. There will not be a ground invasion of the north unless its pushing back their move into the south

I promise you, it’s not even under consideration.

The logistics of it make it impossible for the US to do anyway. The US doesn’t have any troops on or near the DMZ anymore save for a handful, they have all been moved to bases further south.

Not gonna happen.