US Forces Deploy: Trump Calm Storm

Most of us know from firsthand personal experience that the U.S. Military is second to none. Around the world, nobody wants the full effect of the firepower we can bring. It’d just be foolish (and really cool to watch on YouTube) to engage the United States. With great power, comes great responsibility though. After a meeting with U.S. military leaders, President Trump had a few extremely cryptic words saying about the meeting that it was “Maybe the calm before the storm.” What this could mean is anyone’s guess, but with the Iran nuclear deal on the table, Afghanistan ramping up again and North Korea’s posturing, this statement could have grave implications.

The President has made it clear that he was displeased with the Iran nuclear deal and is expected to send it to congress to get a full decertification. What Iran’s reaction to this move could be is anyone’s guess as the Iranian president has recently told reporters that “We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will strengthen our missile capabilities,” in regards to Trump’s recent condemnation of Iran. We also have Afghanistan on our docket as well as we’ve increased troop presence there in the last year as additional advisory teams for the Afghan military and security forces. While Afghanistan is no longer a pressing threat, the support and logistics accompanying those additional troops will be a big distraction in case of a major conflict in another area of the world. In regards to Iran, this would actually be helpful as Afghanistan and Iraq share a border with the hostile country, boxing them in. We are doubtful that the president has his sights set on anything other than the already known troop increases in Afghanistan.The last possibility, or at least last known possibility, is the rogue nation of North Korea. Despite attempts by big brother China, North Korea has continued to push the limits of the world’s restraint by firing more missiles with no regard for the world impact. Unfortunately the cost of dealing with North Korea would come at a grave cost to the South Korean populace as artillery from North Korea is well within striking distance of one of the most populated cities on Earth, Seoul. Given China’s friendly acceptance of the USS Ronald Reagan into port in Hong Kong, relations between the two nations are improving despite Kim Jong-Un’s attempts to divide the two powers.

Hopefully everything ends peacefully, as fighting a war on two fronts or even managing an insurgency has not historically played out well, no matter how strong the military was. The only success was in World War II when the U.S. and its allies successfully completed a European and Pacific campaign. If anyone can do it, it’s the United States. However we’d prefer to not go around testing history and mistakes made.