Lesson 4 – Nuclear Weapons Are Not Unusable Weapons

Despite having been created and used by the United States just five years earlier, nuclear weapons already had something of a “taboo” status in the world when the Korean conflict erupted in 1950. This was likely the result of the twin shocks of the media reports (like those of John Hersey) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the unexpected news of the first Soviet nuclear bomb test in 1949. As long as atomic weapons remained exclusively a U.S. capability, America and her allies were confident that nuclear deterrence would keep the peace by itself. However, the 1949 Soviet atomic bomb test and the Korean War forever changed that fanciful notion in American minds. Not since the War of 1812 had foreign military forces done significant damage on American soil. Very suddenly, U.S. citizens were facing the reality that the traditional belief that wide oceans would protect America from foreign attack was shockingly wrong, and “The Bomb” in enemy hands became a Cold War “boogeyman.” The fear of American cities being reduced to debris and ashes like Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused a near panic as the world changed before Americans’ eyes. When Gen. Douglas MacArthur publically suggested the use of 50 atomic bombs to create a nuclear “dead zone,” across the Korean Peninsula, the idea horrified the entire world, including President Harry S Truman. MacArthur’s unsolicited targeting recommendation would later be a major factor in his relief as supreme commander of U.N. forces, along with taking nuclear weapon use off the table until Truman left office. It also established the precedent that nuclear weapons targeting and release would be held at the highest levels of American government, not with field commanders wanting to frighten their counterparts with atomic fire. The Korean War also provided the first real impetus to strategic thinkers like Herman Kahn, Henry Kissinger, and U.S. Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay to actually study future warfare scenarios involving nuclear/thermonuclear weapons and their delivery systems. Thankfully, it has been almost seven decades since nuclear weapons were last used, still as taboo (and perhaps as unusable in the public eye) as they were during the Korean War.

 

Lesson 5 – Commitment Equals Victory

Though the active “shooting” phase of the Korean conflict ended in 1953, the Korean War itself has never officially ended. In fact, what has passed for “peace” over the past six decades has always been enforced by the U.S. Eighth Army, which today comprises 30,000 U.S. personnel based on the Korean Peninsula. Simply put, Korea is the ultimate example of how America defeats so-called “wars of liberation” simply by never exiting the theater of war as long as the threat remains in place. One lesson that the United States has never really properly grasped is that, as a society, Americans are generally lousy as occupiers. Furthermore, as a relatively young nation, the United States has what many consider a short attention span when it comes to situations involving long-term international/military commitments. For almost six decades, U.S. forces have stared across the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) looking for the invasion they all pray never comes, and that has been enough, despite two changes of top leadership in the DPRK. Despite several attempts by U.S. political leaders to draw down American force levels in Korea, the Eighth Army continues to stand watch across the DMZ. In Korea, as it has been proven in places like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the most committed side wins.

 

Lesson 6 – Listen to the Locals

One of the biggest lessons of the Korean conflict, one rarely mentioned in the history books, was that numerous vital bits of information were ignored simply because they came from non-traditional sources. Most notable of these was the warning through India that described in great detail the coming PRC commitment of ground forces as U.N. forces drove north to the Yalu River. The reality, then as now, is that U.S. leaders tend to place great trust in intelligence derived from known or legacy means and sources, something that has consistently proven disastrous to America in the real world. From Pearl Harbor and the Cuban Missile Crisis to more recent events in the War on Terrorism, too much faith in what the minds of American political and military leaders believe is possible has cost the U.S. people dearly. This fundamental lack of imagination on the part of U.S. leadership is likely to plague us into the future, unless we learn to see and listen with better eyes and ears.

 

Lesson 7 – Don’t Forget or Ignore Lessons Bought and Paid For

Gen. George S. Patton, U.S. Army, is reported to have said, “I don’t like paying for ground twice.” Sadly, despite several conflicts that have reinforced all the lessons referenced above, the U.S. military and political leadership are still failing to heed what has been learned at the expense of close to 125,000 combat deaths. Six decades after the end of active hostilities in the Korean conflict, it is a fitting time to remember that commitment of American forces to any contingency, be it of short or long duration, is composed of commitments to the American people and international allies. The commitment to the American people is to use those forces properly and with respect, because the willingness of U.S. citizens to send their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and parents is finite and defined by the ways they are used, cared for, and even lost. Internationally, when America commits its forces, it shows how serious a situation is and implies a genuine threat to the government, group, or individuals creating the threat. However, halfhearted commitments and not providing genuine leadership in a crisis situation have, on multiple occasions since 1953, led America down the path to defeat and humiliation.

The American character is a difficult thing to ponder at times, often muddled by our own national traditions, values, and ideals. That said, America remains the country most powerfully and decisively able to define the world of the early 21st century. Our inventiveness, creativity, willingness to take risks, and desire for the greater good remain unchallenged in a world seemingly lacking these positive qualities. South Korea is a shining beacon for these traits, for the simple reason that, six decades later, it exists.

This article was first published in The Forgotten War: 60th Anniversary of the Korean War.