World War 3 News: North Korea Not Slowing Down, U.S. Not Backing Down
There are many things currently happening that suggest World War 3 is right around the corner. The latest developments are as follows: President Trump has sent two more nuclear-capable warships, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, to follow the one he deployed several days ago, which was the USS Carl Vinson, to the Korean Peninsula; Vice President Mike Pence, who’s currently in Asia conducting meetings with world leaders (minus one Kim Jong-un), is talking tough with warnings to North Korea; Russia and China are calling for restraint; China has just tried out a new missile destroyer; and Pyongyang continues to chide warnings and pleas whilst threatening nuclear war.
USS Ronald Reagan & USS Nimitz
These two warships have been deployed to join the USS Carl Vinson sent out last week in the direction of the Korean Peninsula, Daily Mail has reported. All three ships have the capacity to store 90 aircraft comprised of both planes and helicopters. Carl Vinson requires a crew of over 6,000 to operate, while Ronald Reagan and Nimitz require a few hundred less than that.
According to Naval Technology, the USS Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the oldest of the three warships, as well as the first of its kind, as the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson are of the Nimitz Class of warships. Reagan is the newest ship of this group, commissioned in 2003. Carl Vinson became an official aircraft carrier in 1982.
There are, at this time, nine Nimitz warships ready for battle. All are nuclear-capable. The most recently commissioned is the USS George HW Bush of 2009.
Pence Gets Stern With North Korea
During a trip in Asia to speak with leaders of the region, Vice President Mike Pence made use of stern rhetoric directed toward unhinged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a ruler who acts all too happy to threaten the United States and the rest of the world with his nuclear arsenal on a regular basis. These threats have carried more weight in recent weeks, as President Donald Trump has gone to lengths to make it clear he’s not the type of decision-maker his predecessor Barack Obama was.
During a press conference in South Korea, Pence referred to the lengths the president has taken recently in Syria and Afghanistan to illustrate his point on what the U.S. is capable of and willing to do if Jong-un crosses the line.
The Irish Examiner spoke with North Korean citizens following the VP’s comments, and it was reported that by their words and behavior, it appears the people under Kim Jong-un’s rule are unafraid of a nuclear war with the United States.
“…in Pyongyang, where war would mean untold horrors, where neighbourhoods could be reduced to rubble and tens of thousands of civilians could be killed, few people seem to care much at all.”
North Koreans reportedly have the utmost confidence in their leader, despite what war, whether it be World War 3 or that of another variety, would likely mean for them.
Jong-un has yet to relent on talk of his nuclear war capabilities.
Directives For Calm
After President Trump dropped the “Mother of All Bombs” onto a network of interconnected cave tunnels used by ISIS operatives in Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has his own reasons to be frustrated with the U.S., made public a request for restraint, as reported by The Sun.
“We call all countries for restraint, we call all the countries to refrain from any actions that could amount to provocative steps.”
Not long after Putin’s statement, the Foreign Minister of China followed the Kremlin’s lead by issuing his own plea for world leaders to check themselves before doing anything they could one day regret.
If Russia and China are worried about explosive ramifications between the United States and North Korea, should the rest of the world be concerned as well?
China Tries Out Missile Destroyer
Daily Mail has reported that China recently tried out a new addition to their war arsenal called Xining, described as a “guided-missile destroyer.” Given Kim Jong-un’s intent on testing nuclear missiles, it’s probably not a coincidence China is conducting their own military preparations.
“The vessel is integrated with ‘many new types of weaponry’, including main artillery on the deck, anti-aircraft and anti-missile close-in weapon system, torpedo and missile.”
The Chinese government made video footage of the tests, which were conducted on the Yellow Sea, available to watch via the China Central Television Station (CCTV).
Kim Jong-un Not Slowing Down, Trump Unrelenting
After flaunting their nuclear arsenal to the world in celebration of the Day of the Sun on Saturday, North Korea hit a speed bump the following day when a missile launch test failed. The missile exploded seconds after takeoff.
The gaffe, however, has not slowed Kim Jong-un down. Quite the opposite, as the dictator has promised to continue conducting missile tests despite warnings from the U.S. to take action in response to more tests. BBC spoke with an official of the North Korean Foreign Ministry on Monday, and this person said that the missile tests should be expected every week, and if Washington takes it upon themselves to respond aggressively, they should be prepared for nuclear ramifications.
This could be a problem, as it’s also been reported that American army officials are ruminating over whether or not they should directly interfere with additional missile tests coming out of Pyongyang.
Does the start of World War 3 rely on a battle of wills and wits between North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump? Only time will tell.
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