if that regime ever falls, its millions of people that need to be un-brainwashed, half of what they know about the world isnt true, theyve been under strange lies and oppression for generations
I think some of them are aware that there country is full of lies and propaganda but they can’t do anything about to cause they don’t wanna get killed.
When everyone thinks you've been launching missiles in the ocean because you're a madman, In reality you've been the only thing holding back Godzilla for years
I was living on Maui during the ballistic missile threat. I was working at a restaurant in the morning, and in about 30 seconds and entire restaurant full of people cleared out in everyone ran away to nowhere safe. I'll never forget the look on those people's face. But oddly enough, I was at peace which absolutely surprised me.
Yeah…I live close enough to several key parts of our nuclear and missile defense systems that if the nuclear poop hit the fan I’d be dead within the first hour at most. If the world is gonna end like that, I’d prefer quick and easy.
@@T1kr3b3u they scattered like roaches. All of my co-workers ran away too except for one, a waitress. I've never been a big fan of smoking cigarettes, but she offered me one and we walked outside and was just looking up in the sky to see if we can see anything. But we were both pretty much like "so be it"
@@JABoyle3875 when I was growing up in my granddad would talk about the cold war, he always said that if it fell, he hoped that it would fall in his lap.
I’m not educated enough to make any kind of intellectual comments, but I just wanted to say thank you for the content. This stuff is so well produced, thought provoking and well delivered. It’s become my go-to channel for think pieces.
Seriously, why does Russia have a UN veto? It was given to the Soviet Union. That country no longer exists and it was never formalized that Russia gets that veto so why has no one EVER brought this up? If anything, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are just as deserving of the veto as Russia is.
Who are you the right to decide who gets a veto and who doesn't? Your western supremacists ideology shows why Russia is more deserving than who ever you propose.
Yes Kim once said if we didn't have nukes we would end up like Iraq. There nuke can hit California and they don't declare their testing so America is always gonna keep that in their mind and they havea a big black market with methampthane and chemicals.
Why would NK sell arms to Russia if they are planning to invade? You answered it, to test how well their arms work, probably improve them, probably get technical information on improving them, and currency.
Plausible but unlikely. During the Cold War grandpa Kim would often threaten the PRC and USSR with siding with the other unless they sent him aid and he played them off one another constantly, then when the USSR collapsed the PRC and DPRK both realized the DPRK had no choice but to side with the PRC so their new way to make up for the lost income from the Soviets was from the west. They halfheartedly tried to get investment but they werent willing to allow any concessions so those investments never happened, so the learned international aid was their best bet. Kim Jung-Il learned pretty quickly that the west didnt want a war but had plenty of money (same story with South Korea and Japan) so they just needed to rattle their sabers and money would come in. That's also why the timeline of tests tends to line up on a slight delay from their economy: early 90s famine leads to their first missile tests in 1990 and 1993, Asian economies had a downturn in the 90s and North Korea had their first IRBM in 1998, and then after that they either agreed to short term moratoriums, extended those moratoriums for a year at a time, or launched missiles damn near annually through the 2000s and 2010s with a sharp uptick not long after Kim Jung-Il died and Kim Jung Un realized that while his father was viewed as a ring-leader of the "Axis of Evil" that he was viewed as a lesser threat so he needed to establish that same fear in the west his father and grandfather had commanded. "Balance of terror" is a concept the Kims have long employed, it's a political strategy where you have to make sure people fear you enough to do what you want but dont fear you so much that they think it's not worth playing along and just take you out. The Kims have practically perfected it and it's been what's kept their government afloat for the last 30+ years. War doesnt benefit the Kims or North Korea in the slightest, they stand zero chance of taking on South Korea even without the US helping the South and war is almost guaranteed to start with Kim Jung Un's death in a decapitation strike thanks to how centralized their government is leaving them more susceptible to decapitation strikes then any other military on earth, but playing this political game gives the Kims everything they want.
@@viewviewview1236 yeah it really bugs me when people talk about war with North Korea. The DPRK has such bad infrastructure, so few trucks, and such bad famine (even for the military) that they literally struggle even operating within their own border. Their military is so large because many of their "soldiers" are like medieval peasants and the military uses them as laborers to work on government farms and public works, and famine is such a problem that quite often soldiers will work for awhile and then have to go back home, not because the top brass wants to cycle men in and out like a normal military but because the soldiers subsist on food like watery corn and soy gruel and whatever food they can scavenge so they end up getting bed ridden or even dying from malnutrition while working in their own country, sometimes even despite working on farms. Seeing how Russia's invasion went with plenty of trucks, fuel, and food marching hundreds of miles into Ukraine can you imagine what the DPRK would look like trying to march even across the heavily fortified DMZ? I would honestly be shocked if 20% of the soldiers they sent towards the frontline even made it close enough to get shot at by the ROK forces. Any "war" would just be the North flinging outdated WMDs at the South and even those are kind of suspect. Their missiles are mainly based off SCUDs and we learned in Desert Storm just how effective those were against US missile defenses. It's possible that one or a few could get through to hit the South but the farther they try to hit the fewer could get through the defenses to the point even hitting major targets in Japan would be tough and the Kims aren't as stupid as they look, they havent tried honestly attacking the south for decades because they know any serious attack would result in almost instant annihilation. It also helps that they saw how things went for Saddam's WMD program and how his attempts to launch missiles at Israel went. The Kims can stay in the lap of luxury (and by extension so can their allies) as long as they maintain the status quo but any serious aggression would end with them being dragged out in front of cheering crowds to be hung. They have no real incentive to go to war since they have everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Yeah but just the fact that our species has nuclear powered bombs really all weapons that we use on each other for any other reason than to stop human suffering or protect ourselves is pretty wild.
Oddly enough, _1984_ is one of the Western books *not* banned in North Korea. Maybe the Kim gang gaslighted their people into thinking it is a utopia which NK is living out rather than the dystopia it was meant to be
The media is tricking people, they make it sound like Kim Jong Un will strike offensively as it gets more clicks but whenever you actually follow his statements you're realizing he's telling the US not to invade, makes sense now?
The threats are purely defensive, in every speech he is assuming western aggresion first, Kim isn't stupid he knows that he can't win against the US outside of the Korean peninsula.
@@haruhisuzumiya6650 lmfao thats like asking Britain to mediate any affairs with its middle eastern colonies, or its african colonies, or the US.... so no
North Korea's military capabilities are really only concerning in terms of quantity. The North Korean Air Force, if not grounded within a day, would be terribly ineffective with their inventory being made of mostly 1950s and 1960s aircraft that wouldn't be able to get close to engage with South Korean or American fighters. The North Korean Army, while numerous, lacks in proper training and equipment, with soldiers having little in terms of rations. Their troops are just not skilled enough nor fed enough to pose a significant challenge. The only real threats coming from the DPRK (outside of their nuclear warheads and intervention from China) is their submarines and large stockpiles. Submarines could pose a challenge to important naval vessels far from the seas around Korea, although modern anti-submarine technology would also make this a challenge to the North Korean Navy. The other threat is North Korea's large stockpiles of vehicles, tanks and munitions that would drag South Korean and American troops into a long battle to destroy waves of enemy equipment.
Geography is actually what’s stacked against South Korea. Half of South Korea’s population is in the Seoul metropolitan area, which is like 50km from the DMZ. Pyongyang is 150km from the DMZ, and a smaller proportion of North Korea’s lives in Pyongyang. Any preemptive attacks from north is likely to cause civilian casualties beyond imagination.
@@DanHipp True, though I didn't deny there would be immense civilian causalities. By concerning I mean the DPRK's ability to pose challenge in fighting
I live in Hawaii and I remember that (false) ICBM alert. I was in college at the time and I remeber waking up, reading it, then going back to sleep lol. If I'm going to die I'm not gonna stress over it. It also meant no more tests to take.
@@itsdan722 When I woke up I was like wait why am I'm still here? Decided to look out my window and saw that everything looked the same. Checked my phone and saw it was a false alarm. I basically was like darn...well I guess I better study for that chemistry test (which was required as a gen ed but not part of my major lol). Honestly, if some disaster be it natural or not is coming to Hawaii there really isn't much to do to get out of it which is why I resigned myself to just sleep through it.
I was working for ServPro at the time. Some of my co-workers were in a panic. Me, I just walked outside from my workplace and just looked up into the sky, hoping sumthin was about to happen. I lived in Oahu almost all my life, and usually, nothing bad happens here. Tsunami warnings, hurricanes, or some random tremors becuz of the big island. Those are nothing to me, and I think of that as normal
@@Deimnos Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow. Also, the lyric is apparently "perfect road," which totally threw me off the scent because I also thought "rose" was the word and spent too long searching google for the next lyric.
Simon, you quoted AP News as if they were claiming Trump was extorting protection money out of the South Koreans. It was really more about asking them to contribute to their own well being. The total cost of the US presence in South Korea is estimated to be around $34 billion between 2016 and 2019, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
I grew up in the 70s and 80s so I was too young to be really scared of the USSR so perhaps I’m not looking back with a fair sense of threat.. but to me things back then were tame, we were each posturing but I don’t recall feeling like anything major was imminent. Now everything seems to be lining up for major conflict very soon. India/China India/Pakistan Russia/Europe China/Taiwan Israel/Iran not to mention internal stresses inside many major nations that feel more torn apart internally than I can recall.. part of me hopes it’s just because I’m tuned into all this, but it does feel like there are so many major flashpoints and purposeful moves (China aiding Russia is my main one I worry about) one is bound to go off. Do hope I’m wrong.
Flat out No. No we are not. In fact, the ONLY thing that makes them the least bit intimidating is their nuclear aresenal. Other than that there is nearly nothing to fear from North Koreas military.
You really underestimate the power of a radicalized populous which has had decades to prepare for a defensive war, their whole country is made to be a fortress and it's filled with mountains with bunkers and tunnels.
@@Might-as-well Not at all. There isnt any indication that the average citizen is being prepared to resist an invasion, not in any serious manner. The citizens are certainly radical and fanatical, but not in the same manner as the Afghans. The population is not widely armed or trained, instead they're starving and ill-equipped. An invasion would be a bloody, nightmarish slog to be certain. But not necessarily difficult or something to be scared of. Especially if it was South Koreas military in the vanguard
@@Might-as-well that’s why there called “parades”. It’s meant to show them in their best light. Don’t be naive and read or watch interviews of NK defectors to understand how hopeless the situation over there really is.
Jake tapper wrote a book recently about the new cold War era as well as David Sanger. Both are really excellent reads/listens as they are also available on audible.
It's always weird to me that the wider world sees the US asking them to help pick up even a little of the tab is considered "isolationism." The US pays for the lion's share of NATO and the UN. Asking other nations to pay their MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS hardly seems unreasonable.
This video fails to consider the larger (and far more terrifying) possibility that North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran might be planning something much, much, bigger together.
So I was also disturbed by that and after some research i still don't know. I didn't find anything other then drones with ground penetrating radar. But maybe it's something else?
@@horstnietzsche1923 yeah that might be it. It just seems very energy demanding for a drone to borrow through the earth. Even with favorable soil conditions. Let alone solid stone lol
It's not as crazy as it sounds. The US, Soviets and Brits all messed around with them during the cold war. They are essentially just automated sappers. The idea is they drill towards trench lines, bunkers etc, etc and when they reach it, detonate. As far as I was aware all countries abandoned such projects as missile tech improved, however with defensive missile shields now being viable, there might be a place for such drones moving forward.
7:26 Don't forget the Phillipines, as well as certain ports on the coasts of 'Strailya; and, possibly, some naval bases in the Indian Ocean [Diego Garcia comes to mind], as these are places that could potentially be used by the West as launching points or forward operating bases when the time comes to return the favor to NoKo and Mr. Kim (and maybe the CCP, as I personally believe that the CCP would be either involved in the creation of such actions by NoKo, or, at the very least, right behind such actions, temporally speaking, in an attempt to capitalize on the newly weakened global power structure... especially in the Indian Ocean and, importantly, on the long-coveted Indian subcontinent, which is already being occupied by a growing number of Chinese military forces). Good video, Brain Boy (and Author)! 🙂
@@Might-as-well well the most recent one, pretty obvious which one he'd be referring to regardless you dont have a country sealed off for decades with only a few escapees all saying that the conditions are terrible, without the conditions actually being terrible
@@ASlickNamedPimpback The last major parade was in 2023 and in that parade soldiers looked healthy, also the country isn't good but it's not terrible either, South Korean has paid defectors to lie in the past (South Korea isn't a bastion of democracy) and there have been accounts of North Korean's defecting back due to the struggles of capitalism and their will to reunite with their family.
How can you discuss this topic for over 20 minutes without mentioning the worlds second largest military might that actually is located right next to North Korea? China probably has more sway of this conflicts chance of escalating than any other country in the world. How could you possibly not take China into consideration when discussing this?
@Might-as-well and Iraq. None of those people want to nuke the world or practice imperialism. They just want to rule themselves but America wants Globalization
Being unpredictable and keeping the world unsure of the DPRK's true goals is one of Kim's biggest advantages thats one of the biggest reasons for all of his rhetoric and posturing. The fact that no one can be sure if hes going to attack or not means his enemies can never drop their guard and have to keep pouring resources into keeping troops prepared constantly in case of war. Why would he stop making threats when its so advantageous to keep his enemies uncertain?
20:36 what does ontologically mean? I’ve never heard that word before and I don’t know what words it might be derived from or what words I might have heard that might have been derived from that word so I likewise have no idea what that quote is intended to mean because of the word I don’t understand being such an important part of the quote.
One of the best games I've ever played. .. go figure i find other cultured humans under a video such as this on a channel we all likely subscribe too. Lol
@@meteorknight999 where else in a country the size of Indiana, with 40 million people, could they relocate a metropolitan industrial area of 25 million? There are basically only 2 major cities, Seoul and Busan, and everything is still in artillery range. They are stuck with what it is. Nothing has changed since my father served there or in my 5 trips there.
Idk why you would mention that tokyo would be absolutely destroyed if a nuke landed on them but only mention that "tens of thousands of american soldiers" would die if guam was attacked, as if the civilian population has any better chance of survival than tokyo does. Tokyo is 4x bigger than guam. Guam is only 36 miles long from tip to tip. And every citizen on guam is an american citizen, the same way that every native american or native hawaiian who lives on american soil is also an american citizen. For a while we even held the record for highest enlistment rate per capita. Guam is a strategic location in the pacific theater precisely because it's american.
Not really, not in a "we're sending troops way." Even WW2 had South America and big chunks of Asia and Africa mostly sit it out. Now, ECONOMICALLY, with everything tied together in global trade now, that is a different story.
@@adamredwine774 I have heard that , too. But a World War is almost by definition the biggest boys in direct combat. That hasn't happened yet, thankfully. It may not happen, for the same reason the Cold War never went hot.
The real risk is simultaneous or nearly simultaneous actions by the DPRK and the PRC. How likely this really is I cannot say. But the worst case scenario would be coordinated offensive action by these two countries. Allied supporting efforts for Taiwan and the ROK would be badly split. On the surface, we probably ought to take Pyongyang’s decision to supply three million rounds of artillery ammunition to Moscow as an indicator that no offensive action by North Korea looms. However, if Pyongyang and Beijing coordinate offensive action, then the ammunition sent to Moscow might not weaken North Korea’s efforts as much as we might otherwise expect. If the US Navy is completely tied up with a crisis around Taiwan, and if available US airpower gets totally committed to a fight over Taiwan, then North Korean subs might actually keep Allied reinforcements from reaching the Korean peninsula by water in the numbers required to provide prompt and decisive support to Seoul. If offensive action by these two powers then led to a renewed effort by Russia in Ukraine, a Russian offensive against the Baltics from a standing start, and/or Iranian action in the Gulf, the US might simply be overwhelmed by the demands on American military resources in such a compressed space of time.
China does not give a shit about human life like we do in the west. They would have no quarrel with preventing migrants from entering in ANY way they deem fit.
North Korea has a major problem when it comes to ground warfare....once the soldiers leave the north, they have a chance to be free. They might just switch sides so they can eat some food.
That's a good point but the brainwash is strong there. Even NK people who work at NK embassies overseas that every chance to leave don't because the believe the lies
Very bad logic, North Korea already had incursions into the South in the past and that never happened, they're too radicalized and would most likely just steal the food instead.
@@WhiteIkiryo-yt2itSouth Korea is easier to conquer than Ukraine, once the metropolises of Seoul and Busan were to be destroyed there wouldn't be much left to fight against, the question is would they dare cause such damage as millions of Koreans on both sides would die within days.
@@Might-as-wellare you on drugs? SK’s army alone has more than 2,000 gen 3-3.5 mbts, 6,000 artillery pieces, 465 mlrs, 53,000 ifvs with more than 600,000 active troops and 3,100,000 reserves which ranks them 5th in the world in terms of military strength according to the latest global firepower and you’re comparing them with Ukraine? Lol. Never think for a second that NK has even the slightest chance against SK.
@@Kua99583 You're not considering that North Korea has immense stockpiles of biowarfare and nuclear weaponry along with vast tunnel and bunker systems, also North Korea has twice the ammount of artillery and twice the ammount of active soldiers, South Korea is advanced and would be able to hold of a traditional North Korean attack easily but they'd not be able to invade North Korea for the reasons stated earlier.
Annie Jacobsen wrote a book interviewing experts and generals about nuclear war specifically mentioning a North Korean nuclear launch. Missile defense doesn't work. There are only a small number of missiles which are designed to counter ballistic missiles and they have an abysmal interception rate. If the North Koreans launch missiles there is a good chance most will get through.
@@archangeldo913 my point is you aren't exactly starving if your population keeps growing, also if you want to stop the starving the best thing to do is to remove sanctions on basic needs like food and water.
I remember being stationed in Okinawa in the airwing getting ready to deploy on the MEU and NK was acting crazy with threats. My CO said we would turn NK into a parking lot if needed like back in the Korean War. Then I realized they had tunnels and caves that were hollowed out. Add in a freezing winter and NK might be 1 country that you can’t invade
The country is highly mountainous and they have been digging those tunnels for 70 years. Even nuclear weapons would have effect reduced by the mountains, let alone few dozens of bunker busters. There was a good reason that during the Korean War the US/UN bombed North Korea into a parking lot, yet with the overwhelming firepower advantage the line barely changed for like 2 years.
“Tens of thousands US troops and Guam killed in an instant”??? There’s not even 10,000 US DOD personnel on Guam. Simon is smoking something crazy for that quote
North Koreans always seem so happy, as if their lives depend on it.
lol good one XD
if that regime ever falls, its millions of people that need to be un-brainwashed, half of what they know about the world isnt true, theyve been under strange lies and oppression for generations
r/angryupvote
I think some of them are aware that there country is full of lies and propaganda but they can’t do anything about to cause they don’t wanna get killed.
No complaints, I must say
When everyone thinks you've been launching missiles in the ocean because you're a madman, In reality you've been the only thing holding back Godzilla for years
It must be Godzilla that destroyed the Nordstream pipelines.
Or rather, Pulgasari. Yonggary vs Pulgasari would be fun though, if only.
Kim is a hero for saving us all
🏆well done sir
He’s actually been the protagonist this whole time
I was living on Maui during the ballistic missile threat. I was working at a restaurant in the morning, and in about 30 seconds and entire restaurant full of people cleared out in everyone ran away to nowhere safe. I'll never forget the look on those people's face. But oddly enough, I was at peace which absolutely surprised me.
That's must be one of the wildest thing to live. I wonder if there were celebration orgies afterwards
Yeah…I live close enough to several key parts of our nuclear and missile defense systems that if the nuclear poop hit the fan I’d be dead within the first hour at most.
If the world is gonna end like that, I’d prefer quick and easy.
So long as they are running around, they feel safe :p
@@T1kr3b3u they scattered like roaches. All of my co-workers ran away too except for one, a waitress. I've never been a big fan of smoking cigarettes, but she offered me one and we walked outside and was just looking up in the sky to see if we can see anything. But we were both pretty much like "so be it"
@@JABoyle3875 when I was growing up in my granddad would talk about the cold war, he always said that if it fell, he hoped that it would fall in his lap.
Every-time he said “Hwasong” I imagined a Frenchmen correcting my pronunciation of croissant.
I've always said, French is the most asian sounding of European languages lol
I love quasóns lol
Non ees hwa-----song meesyur! Merci
I said the same thing. 😂
@@Potarnul wth are you talking about?
1:15 - Chapter 1 - Rogue nation
5:05 - Chapter 2 - Unstable world
9:25 - Chapter 3 - Threshold threats
13:55 - Chapter 4 - A dangerous game
18:00 - Chapter 5 - Good omens ?
And he just had to get his anti-Trump dig in. :(
@@seventhson27 well, to be fair, the man has 30+ felonies and spent most of his Presidency golfing on the taxpayer's dime.
Thank you for this
Fear the k-poop balloons.
Tsksks 😂
Lmao
South drops k-pop, North returns K-poop. 😅
People underestimate North Korea until they send K-poop balloons at us
South Korea is a degenerate state so the Norths sending over refuse is fitting.
Those trash balloons look silent and deadly.
VX Nerve Agents are your friends.
Those are cutting edge long distance payload delivery munitions!
😂😂😂
They are always the most dangerous ones.
You laughing but you didn’t get a mass alert at like 11 o clock at night saying there may be an airstrike lol
Dont think anyone in the public really thought North Korea would go to war in 2017.
public?
no.
the media sure as fuck pushed that particular fear though.
always fear.
live the fear, guys. :)
Heck the public were mainly joking about the “war” we’d have with NK. Nearly everyone agreeing it would’ve been a 1 sided massacre
If you ask trump supporters theyll say Trump stopped nuclear war
@@jhm3346 it's easy to think that when your media pushes that and you don't actually know anything truly tangible about their capabilities.
Yes it would be 1 sided just like the Afghanistan war, after 20 years the Taliban are as strong as ever.
Shouldn't really underestimate humans in general.
Unless you’re North Korea
Rare actual wisdom in a youtube comment. Have a like.
@@TheShftyOne My life is complete.
An army that is starved almost to death already? with officers without any militairy experience? yeah totally not something to underestimate...
@@fjalarhenriksson A cornered, starving animal is the least predictable, my friend.
I’m not educated enough to make any kind of intellectual comments, but I just wanted to say thank you for the content. This stuff is so well produced, thought provoking and well delivered. It’s become my go-to channel for think pieces.
Ironically your comment is more intelligently written than most UA-cam comments I would say that basically makes you an intellectual.
Seriously, why does Russia have a UN veto? It was given to the Soviet Union. That country no longer exists and it was never formalized that Russia gets that veto so why has no one EVER brought this up? If anything, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are just as deserving of the veto as Russia is.
I vote we give Russia’s veto power to Ukraine.
Also, shouldn’t Taiwan have China’s veto power?
The same way that USA has veto power and vetoes the Gaza ceasefire letting the genocide of Palestinian civilians continue
They did, until 1971
@@GusCraft460 Excellent point! Also, I agree!
Who are you the right to decide who gets a veto and who doesn't? Your western supremacists ideology shows why Russia is more deserving than who ever you propose.
No. I actually dont think most informed people were worried about it back in 2017 either.
Still aren't now
No. Next question.
Short and sweet, I like it.
Short and true, I like it.
Yes Kim once said if we didn't have nukes we would end up like Iraq. There nuke can hit California and they don't declare their testing so America is always gonna keep that in their mind and they havea a big black market with methampthane and chemicals.
Very uneducated response. Your name says it all.
Why would NK sell arms to Russia if they are planning to invade? You answered it, to test how well their arms work, probably improve them, probably get technical information on improving them, and currency.
The fact that this is even plausible is absolute madness
Plausible but unlikely. During the Cold War grandpa Kim would often threaten the PRC and USSR with siding with the other unless they sent him aid and he played them off one another constantly, then when the USSR collapsed the PRC and DPRK both realized the DPRK had no choice but to side with the PRC so their new way to make up for the lost income from the Soviets was from the west. They halfheartedly tried to get investment but they werent willing to allow any concessions so those investments never happened, so the learned international aid was their best bet. Kim Jung-Il learned pretty quickly that the west didnt want a war but had plenty of money (same story with South Korea and Japan) so they just needed to rattle their sabers and money would come in. That's also why the timeline of tests tends to line up on a slight delay from their economy: early 90s famine leads to their first missile tests in 1990 and 1993, Asian economies had a downturn in the 90s and North Korea had their first IRBM in 1998, and then after that they either agreed to short term moratoriums, extended those moratoriums for a year at a time, or launched missiles damn near annually through the 2000s and 2010s with a sharp uptick not long after Kim Jung-Il died and Kim Jung Un realized that while his father was viewed as a ring-leader of the "Axis of Evil" that he was viewed as a lesser threat so he needed to establish that same fear in the west his father and grandfather had commanded.
"Balance of terror" is a concept the Kims have long employed, it's a political strategy where you have to make sure people fear you enough to do what you want but dont fear you so much that they think it's not worth playing along and just take you out. The Kims have practically perfected it and it's been what's kept their government afloat for the last 30+ years. War doesnt benefit the Kims or North Korea in the slightest, they stand zero chance of taking on South Korea even without the US helping the South and war is almost guaranteed to start with Kim Jung Un's death in a decapitation strike thanks to how centralized their government is leaving them more susceptible to decapitation strikes then any other military on earth, but playing this political game gives the Kims everything they want.
@@viewviewview1236 yeah it really bugs me when people talk about war with North Korea. The DPRK has such bad infrastructure, so few trucks, and such bad famine (even for the military) that they literally struggle even operating within their own border. Their military is so large because many of their "soldiers" are like medieval peasants and the military uses them as laborers to work on government farms and public works, and famine is such a problem that quite often soldiers will work for awhile and then have to go back home, not because the top brass wants to cycle men in and out like a normal military but because the soldiers subsist on food like watery corn and soy gruel and whatever food they can scavenge so they end up getting bed ridden or even dying from malnutrition while working in their own country, sometimes even despite working on farms.
Seeing how Russia's invasion went with plenty of trucks, fuel, and food marching hundreds of miles into Ukraine can you imagine what the DPRK would look like trying to march even across the heavily fortified DMZ? I would honestly be shocked if 20% of the soldiers they sent towards the frontline even made it close enough to get shot at by the ROK forces. Any "war" would just be the North flinging outdated WMDs at the South and even those are kind of suspect. Their missiles are mainly based off SCUDs and we learned in Desert Storm just how effective those were against US missile defenses. It's possible that one or a few could get through to hit the South but the farther they try to hit the fewer could get through the defenses to the point even hitting major targets in Japan would be tough and the Kims aren't as stupid as they look, they havent tried honestly attacking the south for decades because they know any serious attack would result in almost instant annihilation. It also helps that they saw how things went for Saddam's WMD program and how his attempts to launch missiles at Israel went. The Kims can stay in the lap of luxury (and by extension so can their allies) as long as they maintain the status quo but any serious aggression would end with them being dragged out in front of cheering crowds to be hung. They have no real incentive to go to war since they have everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Yeah but just the fact that our species has nuclear powered bombs really all weapons that we use on each other for any other reason than to stop human suffering or protect ourselves is pretty wild.
@@LongDongJohnson0705 what's really wild is you're having a belated conversation with yourself
@@arthas640 What do you mean exactly? Please elaborate
There's a good reason why Orwell's "1984" isn't available to read in North Korea...
I was a warning, but some use it as a guide.
There's a reason The Lorax isn't available to read in North Korea.... lol damn near every book is banned.
well yeah, first you need a population that is able to actually read
@@ASlickNamedPimpback Funnily enough, they can. North Koreans have to be able to read the regime's propaganda and laws.
Oddly enough, _1984_ is one of the Western books *not* banned in North Korea. Maybe the Kim gang gaslighted their people into thinking it is a utopia which NK is living out rather than the dystopia it was meant to be
Kinda hard to take the threat of NK seriously when every 4 months they make a threat again and again.
The media is tricking people, they make it sound like Kim Jong Un will strike offensively as it gets more clicks but whenever you actually follow his statements you're realizing he's telling the US not to invade, makes sense now?
The threats are purely defensive, in every speech he is assuming western aggresion first, Kim isn't stupid he knows that he can't win against the US outside of the Korean peninsula.
Defensive and offensive threats aren't the same thing in geopolitics.
The lil' Kim that cries wolf.
Misses his useful idiot Trump
Also, it's that old story about the boy yelling "wolves!" When there were none. When wolves appeared nobody believed him.
What if we take the Korean Peninsula and push it somewhere else???
...Somebody get this man on the phone with the Pentagon.
I'd say let Japan to mediate affairs
Where, though?
where?
WEST ASIA?
@@haruhisuzumiya6650 lmfao thats like asking Britain to mediate any affairs with its middle eastern colonies, or its african colonies, or the US.... so no
North Korea's military capabilities are really only concerning in terms of quantity. The North Korean Air Force, if not grounded within a day, would be terribly ineffective with their inventory being made of mostly 1950s and 1960s aircraft that wouldn't be able to get close to engage with South Korean or American fighters. The North Korean Army, while numerous, lacks in proper training and equipment, with soldiers having little in terms of rations. Their troops are just not skilled enough nor fed enough to pose a significant challenge.
The only real threats coming from the DPRK (outside of their nuclear warheads and intervention from China) is their submarines and large stockpiles. Submarines could pose a challenge to important naval vessels far from the seas around Korea, although modern anti-submarine technology would also make this a challenge to the North Korean Navy. The other threat is North Korea's large stockpiles of vehicles, tanks and munitions that would drag South Korean and American troops into a long battle to destroy waves of enemy equipment.
Geography is actually what’s stacked against South Korea. Half of South Korea’s population is in the Seoul metropolitan area, which is like 50km from the DMZ.
Pyongyang is 150km from the DMZ, and a smaller proportion of North Korea’s lives in Pyongyang.
Any preemptive attacks from north is likely to cause civilian casualties beyond imagination.
You're forgetting the biggest problem. The thousands of NK artillery batteries pointed directly at SK
@@DanHipp True, though I didn't deny there would be immense civilian causalities. By concerning I mean the DPRK's ability to pose challenge in fighting
Bio wepon
North Korean now has advanced missile systems in abundance. Modern equipment isn't that important in full scale wars.
Ain't no party like a Pyongyang party cuz a Pyongyang party is absolutely mandatory
I live in Hawaii and I remember that (false) ICBM alert. I was in college at the time and I remeber waking up, reading it, then going back to sleep lol. If I'm going to die I'm not gonna stress over it. It also meant no more tests to take.
How pissed were you when you found out it was a false alarm and had to take the tests after all? Lol
@@itsdan722 When I woke up I was like wait why am I'm still here? Decided to look out my window and saw that everything looked the same. Checked my phone and saw it was a false alarm. I basically was like darn...well I guess I better study for that chemistry test (which was required as a gen ed but not part of my major lol). Honestly, if some disaster be it natural or not is coming to Hawaii there really isn't much to do to get out of it which is why I resigned myself to just sleep through it.
I was working for ServPro at the time. Some of my co-workers were in a panic. Me, I just walked outside from my workplace and just looked up into the sky, hoping sumthin was about to happen. I lived in Oahu almost all my life, and usually, nothing bad happens here. Tsunami warnings, hurricanes, or some random tremors becuz of the big island. Those are nothing to me, and I think of that as normal
@@daniel_gallardo808you took CHEM as your SCI requirement.
Do you also dry shave & eat those ghost pepper chips for sport? You are a mad man
I did the same thing lol
Getting Korean War 2.0 before GTA 6
Actually Korean war 3, 2 happen right in the middle during the Vietnam War
I doubt we be around to make it to gta6 the way things are going in the world
GTA 7: Pyongyang
Korean War 2 electric boogaloo get your Hawaiian shirts and plate carriers
Before Half-Life 3, you mean?
I can't remember another time that the stage was this set for another world War..
Cuban missile crisis.
And inconceivable only 4 years ago, during Trump's presidency...
The situation feels like a house of cards one blow from caving in.
there was a young upstart Austrian leader who said the same thing about the soviet union
@@IpsissimusBoz Fortunately, after a hurricane comes a rainbow.
@@tuckercase2449 Maybe the reason why all the doors are closed / Is that you can find one that leads you to the perfect rose
@@Deimnos Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow.
Also, the lyric is apparently "perfect road," which totally threw me off the scent because I also thought "rose" was the word and spent too long searching google for the next lyric.
@@tuckercase2449 "and when it's time, you'll know"
Haha, perfect road does make more sense, even though, like you said, rose also fit in
Great vid and content!
"You shouldn't underestimate an enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him."
-- George S. Patton
Good response. Genuinely.
Simon, you quoted AP News as if they were claiming Trump was extorting protection money out of the South Koreans. It was really more about asking them to contribute to their own well being. The total cost of the US presence in South Korea is estimated to be around $34 billion between 2016 and 2019, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
the first thing anyone shouldn't do is underestimate an opponent. can never fully know how batshit insane or smart one is under the mask.
I hope this outta all your channels does good, it's genuine good news reporting
The only bias they have is in the Russia vs Ukraine war. Russia was and will be powerful.
That beard is absolutely spectacular
Simons growing it as a contingency plan against isis taking over the western world.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s so I was too young to be really scared of the USSR so perhaps I’m not looking back with a fair sense of threat.. but to me things back then were tame, we were each posturing but I don’t recall feeling like anything major was imminent. Now everything seems to be lining up for major conflict very soon. India/China India/Pakistan Russia/Europe China/Taiwan Israel/Iran not to mention internal stresses inside many major nations that feel more torn apart internally than I can recall.. part of me hopes it’s just because I’m tuned into all this, but it does feel like there are so many major flashpoints and purposeful moves (China aiding Russia is my main one I worry about) one is bound to go off. Do hope I’m wrong.
Every time I watch an episode here I get an anxiety attack.
Maybe the Internet isn't for you
@@kieranklein2527 it's too late now, I'm fused with it
@@polarbear3262 one sec. Gonna pull the plug.
@@kieranklein2527 Don't do it Cypher!
@@polarbear3262 😈
Never under estimate a dictator who things he has nothing to loose and everything to gain. How ever realistic these ideas really are....
Doesn’t matter he still answers to china and they dont want war
It's not a dictatorship, it's a democratic republic. It's in their name!
He has no way to hurt anyone but himself, US lasers will enter the chat if he wants to f around
@@Wtz-jx3whand after the 20 seconds of use they offer?
Yeah but he does have everything to loose and nothing to gain by going to war
I've been hoping you'd make this one, time to dive in.
Kimmy boi getting goosebumps watching this😂
Flat out No. No we are not. In fact, the ONLY thing that makes them the least bit intimidating is their nuclear aresenal. Other than that there is nearly nothing to fear from North Koreas military.
You really underestimate the power of a radicalized populous which has had decades to prepare for a defensive war, their whole country is made to be a fortress and it's filled with mountains with bunkers and tunnels.
@@Might-as-well Not at all.
There isnt any indication that the average citizen is being prepared to resist an invasion, not in any serious manner.
The citizens are certainly radical and fanatical, but not in the same manner as the Afghans. The population is not widely armed or trained, instead they're starving and ill-equipped.
An invasion would be a bloody, nightmarish slog to be certain. But not necessarily difficult or something to be scared of. Especially if it was South Koreas military in the vanguard
@@Might-as-welltheir soldiers are dying of hunger while trying to get their soviet era equipments working
@@Kua99583 Watch any of their recent parades and you'll realize that you're wrong on all points.
@@Might-as-well that’s why there called “parades”. It’s meant to show them in their best light. Don’t be naive and read or watch interviews of NK defectors to understand how hopeless the situation over there really is.
Jake tapper wrote a book recently about the new cold War era as well as David Sanger. Both are really excellent reads/listens as they are also available on audible.
It's always weird to me that the wider world sees the US asking them to help pick up even a little of the tab is considered "isolationism." The US pays for the lion's share of NATO and the UN. Asking other nations to pay their MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS hardly seems unreasonable.
Can’t wait for the next new map for Battlefield 2042.
I didn't know anyone actually played that steaming pile of dung
You need to worry my friend about china and taiwan war bc most of chips made in taiwan😅
I think that Ms. Town is probably right. It's more about the business of selling arms rather than starting a war.
so freaking early!!! Love u bro!
This video fails to consider the larger (and far more terrifying) possibility that North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran might be planning something much, much, bigger together.
16:57 is this the professor from that funny BBC interview meme?
Kid comes in his office while live, wife/nanny (?) on all fours and snatches the kid? Yea. 😅
no
The only thing Fatboy Kimcheese is capable of destroying is a big mac! 😂 😂 😂
No one talking about what the hell are "under ground attack drones". That's had to be a typo right?! He probably meant to say underwater attack drones
So I was also disturbed by that and after some research i still don't know. I didn't find anything other then drones with ground penetrating radar. But maybe it's something else?
@@horstnietzsche1923 yeah that might be it. It just seems very energy demanding for a drone to borrow through the earth. Even with favorable soil conditions. Let alone solid stone lol
It's not as crazy as it sounds. The US, Soviets and Brits all messed around with them during the cold war.
They are essentially just automated sappers. The idea is they drill towards trench lines, bunkers etc, etc and when they reach it, detonate.
As far as I was aware all countries abandoned such projects as missile tech improved, however with defensive missile shields now being viable, there might be a place for such drones moving forward.
@@louiscypher4186 daaamn alright yeah that makes sense
I am trying to find the quote you mentioned in frame 12:18. Can you please provide the source link. Thanks!
7:26 Don't forget the Phillipines, as well as certain ports on the coasts of 'Strailya; and, possibly, some naval bases in the Indian Ocean [Diego Garcia comes to mind], as these are places that could potentially be used by the West as launching points or forward operating bases when the time comes to return the favor to NoKo and Mr. Kim (and maybe the CCP, as I personally believe that the CCP would be either involved in the creation of such actions by NoKo, or, at the very least, right behind such actions, temporally speaking, in an attempt to capitalize on the newly weakened global power structure... especially in the Indian Ocean and, importantly, on the long-coveted Indian subcontinent, which is already being occupied by a growing number of Chinese military forces).
Good video, Brain Boy (and Author)!
🙂
Absolutely not
They literally have a missile called “No Dong.”
Maybe they were trying to tell us something..
They made it so Jeff Bezos takes a hint
If an expert says be concerned, my level of concern reflexively decreases logrithmically.
With as often as US Naval Assests are harassed in International Waters, I feel as if the US Military is constantly underestimated.
In regards to Korea, I think some Korean war videos would be interesting, like the battle of the chosin reservoir would be incredible.
It’s dinner time and warographics has just posted 😎😎😎
How many channels you got my guy! I love it lol
He has like 30 lol, he makes new ones when the older channels run out of steam
I think a large part of the country is starving
but who knows
My problem with that is that North Korea's population is still growing besides "starving" for 30 years.
@@Might-as-wellDid you watch their most recent military parade? The troops looked emaciated.
@@danielhady3021 I looked at their 2023 parade and they didn't seem remotely emaciated, which parade are you referring to?
@@Might-as-well well the most recent one, pretty obvious which one he'd be referring to
regardless you dont have a country sealed off for decades with only a few escapees all saying that the conditions are terrible, without the conditions actually being terrible
@@ASlickNamedPimpback The last major parade was in 2023 and in that parade soldiers looked healthy, also the country isn't good but it's not terrible either, South Korean has paid defectors to lie in the past (South Korea isn't a bastion of democracy) and there have been accounts of North Korean's defecting back due to the struggles of capitalism and their will to reunite with their family.
How can you discuss this topic for over 20 minutes without mentioning the worlds second largest military might that actually is located right next to North Korea? China probably has more sway of this conflicts chance of escalating than any other country in the world. How could you possibly not take China into consideration when discussing this?
Overestimating*
Just like how America overestimated Vietnam, Afghanistan and Korea in the past?
@Might-as-well and Iraq. None of those people want to nuke the world or practice imperialism. They just want to rule themselves but America wants Globalization
“Everything they’re doing is for an internal audience, not an external one”
I wonder who they got ideas like that from
4:45 north korea has nukes and south korea doesnt, how is that not likely to escalate into a global crisis?
Don't forget stockpiles of chemical & biological weapons.
Being unpredictable and keeping the world unsure of the DPRK's true goals is one of Kim's biggest advantages thats one of the biggest reasons for all of his rhetoric and posturing. The fact that no one can be sure if hes going to attack or not means his enemies can never drop their guard and have to keep pouring resources into keeping troops prepared constantly in case of war. Why would he stop making threats when its so advantageous to keep his enemies uncertain?
Everyone should read Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen. Lays this scenario out in great detail. Terrifying.
20:36 what does ontologically mean? I’ve never heard that word before and I don’t know what words it might be derived from or what words I might have heard that might have been derived from that word so I likewise have no idea what that quote is intended to mean because of the word I don’t understand being such an important part of the quote.
A very emphatic yes
They say actions speak louder than words
Thanks for sharing.
Yes - and the reason is music - they make kids learn violin and it paid off in spades - music definitely makes you smarter.
North Korea is actually the highest scoring poor country in the world, they're number 8 in the world for IQ.
Kim needs to put back on the Naruto akatsuki robe
Great reporting as always.
anyone remember mercernaries world im conflict for ps2? game was way ahead of its time
Yup. That was a fun game.
Its criminal that company went under
One of the best games I've ever played. .. go figure i find other cultured humans under a video such as this on a channel we all likely subscribe too. Lol
Shouldn't underestimate any of your enemies
They would just terrorize Seoul. Unfortunate
Poor souls….
You mean fortunately
Seoul could free up some space and give industries to other cities which it is notorious for endless hunger
@@meteorknight999 where else in a country the size of Indiana, with 40 million people, could they relocate a metropolitan industrial area of 25 million? There are basically only 2 major cities, Seoul and Busan, and everything is still in artillery range. They are stuck with what it is. Nothing has changed since my father served there or in my 5 trips there.
You’re delusional if you think that
@@Kua99583 sure bud. You'd know 👍🏻
Throwing money at a problem, never works. You have to fix it.
The world is nuts.
I hate it, I’d never have children in this horrible world and a fascist possibly becoming a US President who loves all these dictators.
@@teresas8173 "Hate" is such a strong word. 😄
@@teresas8173 youve got to be mental if you think trump is actually a fascist, and even moreso if you think its biden
As opposed to the current president that's presiding over all this chaos. Thats rich.
it would be unwise to underestimate any world leader.
Damn their soldiers have 3 arms and blurred faces!
How are we supposed to match that.
Idk why you would mention that tokyo would be absolutely destroyed if a nuke landed on them but only mention that "tens of thousands of american soldiers" would die if guam was attacked, as if the civilian population has any better chance of survival than tokyo does. Tokyo is 4x bigger than guam. Guam is only 36 miles long from tip to tip. And every citizen on guam is an american citizen, the same way that every native american or native hawaiian who lives on american soil is also an american citizen. For a while we even held the record for highest enlistment rate per capita. Guam is a strategic location in the pacific theater precisely because it's american.
Simon, you’re the goat
Can't wait to meet yall lovely people
WW3 looking like it might actually be the entire world at this point.
Not really, not in a "we're sending troops way." Even WW2 had South America and big chunks of Asia and Africa mostly sit it out.
Now, ECONOMICALLY, with everything tied together in global trade now, that is a different story.
I heard a pretty convincing argument by a very knowledgeable guy a few months ago that WWIII has already started.
@@MM22966Every country in South America declared war on Germany to join the United Nations
Hey its 2024. We're all about inclusion now.
@@adamredwine774 I have heard that , too. But a World War is almost by definition the biggest boys in direct combat. That hasn't happened yet, thankfully. It may not happen, for the same reason the Cold War never went hot.
The real risk is simultaneous or nearly simultaneous actions by the DPRK and the PRC. How likely this really is I cannot say. But the worst case scenario would be coordinated offensive action by these two countries. Allied supporting efforts for Taiwan and the ROK would be badly split. On the surface, we probably ought to take Pyongyang’s decision to supply three million rounds of artillery ammunition to Moscow as an indicator that no offensive action by North Korea looms. However, if Pyongyang and Beijing coordinate offensive action, then the ammunition sent to Moscow might not weaken North Korea’s efforts as much as we might otherwise expect. If the US Navy is completely tied up with a crisis around Taiwan, and if available US airpower gets totally committed to a fight over Taiwan, then North Korean subs might actually keep Allied reinforcements from reaching the Korean peninsula by water in the numbers required to provide prompt and decisive support to Seoul. If offensive action by these two powers then led to a renewed effort by Russia in Ukraine, a Russian offensive against the Baltics from a standing start, and/or Iranian action in the Gulf, the US might simply be overwhelmed by the demands on American military resources in such a compressed space of time.
China does not want the migrant crisis which would happen if war broke out which is our biggest help in preventing war
China does not give a shit about human life like we do in the west. They would have no quarrel with preventing migrants from entering in ANY way they deem fit.
What are you on about they'd probably come here we get all the refuse.
Another good one!! God help us!
1k+ likes in < hr....alright, I see you Simon.
No
North Korea has a major problem when it comes to ground warfare....once the soldiers leave the north, they have a chance to be free. They might just switch sides so they can eat some food.
That's a good point but the brainwash is strong there. Even NK people who work at NK embassies overseas that every chance to leave don't because the believe the lies
Very bad logic, North Korea already had incursions into the South in the past and that never happened, they're too radicalized and would most likely just steal the food instead.
simon i know we are talking about war here i taught i could get past it but those new glasses are not the jam my guy
Poop balloons a practice run for bio/chem warfare?
What a strange specie we are and what a strange world we made. As brutal as it is beautiful.
i just dont think they have the power to start a full scale war
With the aid of Russia they could win though, if the Taiwan war were to start the US would not have a easy time dealing with both theaters.
@Might-as-wel Russia can't even take Ukraine so they wouldn't be much of an assist.
@@WhiteIkiryo-yt2itSouth Korea is easier to conquer than Ukraine, once the metropolises of Seoul and Busan were to be destroyed there wouldn't be much left to fight against, the question is would they dare cause such damage as millions of Koreans on both sides would die within days.
@@Might-as-wellare you on drugs? SK’s army alone has more than 2,000 gen 3-3.5 mbts, 6,000 artillery pieces, 465 mlrs, 53,000 ifvs with more than 600,000 active troops and 3,100,000 reserves which ranks them 5th in the world in terms of military strength according to the latest global firepower and you’re comparing them with Ukraine? Lol. Never think for a second that NK has even the slightest chance against SK.
@@Kua99583 You're not considering that North Korea has immense stockpiles of biowarfare and nuclear weaponry along with vast tunnel and bunker systems, also North Korea has twice the ammount of artillery and twice the ammount of active soldiers, South Korea is advanced and would be able to hold of a traditional North Korean attack easily but they'd not be able to invade North Korea for the reasons stated earlier.
Just when you think things couldn´t get worse. . .
Best place to get my news from. Ever
Can we have this calorie hoarder unalived by spec ops?
team america world police ass
I think we made a movie about that.
So you are no different than Russia and China.
Yes, but America doesn’t play that game. America thinks that only low level soldiers are legitimate targets.
@@Kyr93 well no, not really.
Great video
Annie Jacobsen wrote a book interviewing experts and generals about nuclear war specifically mentioning a North Korean nuclear launch. Missile defense doesn't work. There are only a small number of missiles which are designed to counter ballistic missiles and they have an abysmal interception rate. If the North Koreans launch missiles there is a good chance most will get through.
I’ve come to realize lately that we underestimate all the threats.
No I don’t think we’re underestimating them. I think we are accurately estimating them .
It's a information black hole, it's impossible to know but what can't be disputed is that i'd be a war like never seen before.
The DPRK is definitely being underestimated.
You’re right. There are actually MORE people in that nation who are dying of starvation than actually stated.
@@archangeldo913 If that's the case how can you explain that the North Korean population has been growing despites 30 years of "starvation"?
@@Might-as-well I never said they didn’t stop reproducing.
@@archangeldo913 my point is you aren't exactly starving if your population keeps growing, also if you want to stop the starving the best thing to do is to remove sanctions on basic needs like food and water.
@@Might-as-well I prefer to let the people be free and clear from the Kim regime and self determine their own fate, but you know what? You do you.
Never underestimate the enemy
I remember being stationed in Okinawa in the airwing getting ready to deploy on the MEU and NK was acting crazy with threats. My CO said we would turn NK into a parking lot if needed like back in the Korean War. Then I realized they had tunnels and caves that were hollowed out. Add in a freezing winter and NK might be 1 country that you can’t invade
The country is highly mountainous and they have been digging those tunnels for 70 years.
Even nuclear weapons would have effect reduced by the mountains, let alone few dozens of bunker busters.
There was a good reason that during the Korean War the US/UN bombed North Korea into a parking lot, yet with the overwhelming firepower advantage the line barely changed for like 2 years.
the chynese would jump in because they are a-holes
“Tens of thousands US troops and Guam killed in an instant”??? There’s not even 10,000 US DOD personnel on Guam. Simon is smoking something crazy for that quote
21,000 military personnel, including families.