# US aircraft carrier strike group heading toward NK **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 9, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127 "2017-04-09T21:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/1 "2017-04-09T21:04:17Z")
> **[US sends aircraft carrier strike group to Korean peninsula amid mounting...](https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-sends-aircraft-carrier-strike-082929092.html)** > > A US Navy aircraft carrier is being sent towards the Korean peninsula, amid growing concerns over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Hmm. Surprised there isn’t talk on the SDMB about this yet. Or I have missed it. I feel it probably needs a thread of it’s own. The debate? Well I feel it will probably land here anyway. And, well I don’t know. I’ve read a lot about NK. And I don’t think this is such a bad idea. Is Trump calling everyone’s bluff? NK and Kim Jong has everything, and nothing to lose in a fight. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/2 "2017-04-09T23:22:52Z")
It’s nothing more than a typical “showing the flag” operation, just as when we circle a carrier group near Iran. What would be more impressive is if the carrier sailed into the Sea of Japan, and it would be really astonishing if we flew fighter sorties within a couple miles of North Korea’s coastline. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/3 "2017-04-09T23:50:12Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > It’s nothing more than a typical “showing the flag” operation, just as when we circle a carrier group near Iran. > > What would be more impressive is if the carrier sailed into the Sea of Japan, and it would be really astonishing if we flew fighter sorties within a couple miles of North Korea’s coastline. The problem is, is that there is a mad man at the ‘helm’. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/4 "2017-04-10T00:38:13Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > The problem is, is that there is a mad man at the ‘helm’. Which one? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/5 "2017-04-10T00:53:16Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Which one? Both. Not sure which one is more predictable. I’m thinking Jong Un might be. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/6 "2017-04-10T01:10:34Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Which one? Both. Not sure which one is more predictable. I’m thinking Jong Un might be. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/7 "2017-04-10T04:42:09Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > … and nothing to lose in a fight. Well, except for their lives, their power, their comfort and privileges, etc. I expect that everyone involved is looking at the situation rationally, with an understanding of what is at stake. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/8 "2017-04-10T10:21:45Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Which one? I was about to post the same thing. Glad I continued reading the thread before posting. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/9 "2017-04-10T12:52:43Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Both. Not sure which one is more predictable. I’m thinking Jong Un might be. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. It’s certainly Jong Un at this time. He’s led a country for several years now without actually attacking anyone, while Trump didn’t even make it four whole months. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-aircraft-carrier-strike-group-heading-toward-nk/784127/10 "2017-04-10T13:23:25Z")
The U.S. bombs countries quite frequently, under any number of Presidents. That’s hardly news. How many countries did Barack Obama attack without a state of war? Bush 2? Clinton? Reagan? Bush 1? One could go on. Moving a carrier group towards Korea is, well, a change in the course of a bunch of ships. There’s always a U.S. carrier group in the Pacific.