Warhammer News. Massive show of force using stealth aircraft planned off N. Korea. Is this real or too early?

via Business Insider.

The US and South Korean militaries will join together for a final military exercise to close out a heated 2017 with F-22 and F-35 stealth jets training right off North Korea's borders.

The exercise, called "Vigilant Ace," will run from December 4-8 and involve 12,000 military personnel between the US and South Korea, as well as 230 aircraft, a defense official told the Wall Street Journal.

It will also be the first time six F-22 Raptors will visit South Korea, and it will focus on enemy infiltration and precision airstrikes, according to Yonhap news.

Story here. 

Wow.

I don't know the script on this exercise but as much as I've pounded on the F-35, if I was a supporter this is how I'd lay it out.

F-22's and F-35's going after whatever high value air defense systems the N. Koreans have with B-1's and B-52's lobbing cruise missiles to take down identified anti-air guns when located, and then have a series of B-2 raids along with the rest of the unassigned B-1's going after the nuke sites.

What gives me pause and makes me think that this is another "show" and not the real thing is the F-35.  The USMC has what...maybe 20 odd aircraft in the region?  The USAF has maybe 12?

And we know that Davis said before he retired that "he still had to buy pylons" for the bird makes me wonder.  What I don't know is if they've tested JSSAM for internal carriage but even if they have I have to wonder if they have enough aircraft to take out all targets and even if the F-35 can designate its targets (although they will probably try and get around that problem by doing that "quarterback for the force bullshit they thrill the fanboys with).

My guess is that this is more a two-fer and not an actual move (at this time) against the North.

One part is to sell the idea to the N. Koreans that they will be facing unimaginable firepower unless they get their minds right and the second is that this is a passion play to Congress and the F-35 supporters to stay the course and to believe the fantasy that the F-35 is good and ready to go.

Even saying all that, this is an unbelievably provocative act.  Supoposedly China is working to help solve this crisis and they've already expressed their displeasure with the US redeclaring N. Korea a sponsor of terrorism.  How they will react to this move is anyone's guess but they're not the worry.

China will act responsibly.  They're gonna be a great enemy.  They're smart and tough and they should bring out our best if we're willing to meet the challenge.

The problem will be the N. Koreans.  Little fat boy will probably shit his pants when one of his generals (I'd love to see how they draw straws to see who delivers the news) enters the room to tell him that the Americans have launched aircraft, they're coming his way and there is nothing they can do to stop them (well...maybe use their cyber unit if ALIS is running!).  That's when a miscalculation can occur and I doubt the Chinese can talk him down from the ledge if he truly believes this is the night that we come to put his head on a pike for display outside Trump's white house.

This shouldn't be the kickoff of festivities to mark the beginning of Korea War 2...but we've seen world wars start on less.