North Korea

They're talking about it on CNN a little. Nicki Haley admonishing China on sanctions will achieve nothing. Seeking bilateral support from China will achieve nothing. Talking up an invasion on cable TV would only make north Korea feel threatened. Some ambassador to the UN or something, some American guy called Richardson was saying a preemptive strike is unthinkable and can't work. That's ridiculous. Letting north Korea perfect nukes is crazy and sanctions only starve their people and delay the inevitable.

So not being trained in a military academy like the officers in the Pentagon. But being a lifelong student of modern warfare anyway, let's look at how a preemptive strike would play out:

Phase 1, leave two aircraft carriers around for a few months plus destroyers. Attack at 3am when everyone is asleep. Priority one, disable north Korea from launching missile at Seoul or Japan or anywhere like that. So cruise missiles, F35s, stealths. Move as much to the area as possible. Probably Russians and Chinese would tip of north Korea of all that. North Korea has a paltry chance of lobbing a few missiles and there would be patriot missiles in Japan and south Korea everywhere. Once their ability to launch a missile is contained, bomb all airports, fighter planes, tanks, fuel depots, supply depots, howitzers, anything that's not a machine gun. Whole thing would take two weeks most of the work.

Phase two, land control, north Korea has a huge well trained army with lots of machine guns. Contain them at the DMZ and border starting with phase one. Tell south Korea in advance and have privacy from Russia and China. Once that is achieved containing and disarming north Korea's armed forces should proceed slowly and carefully to avoid bloodshed from invading forces. Try propaganda leaflets and starving soldiers and arming rebels, proceed slowly as army is brainwashed and scared. Sure lots of civilians would die in north Korea but in two generations they would multiply and thrive. North Koreans in China would end up relocating to Korea after two generations in Manchuria. China would stop harassing its neighbors considerably. As Lao Tze  would say, just do what needs to be done, never abuse power. Can't see the north Koreans scoring any hits if done right.