If a conflict between North Korea and the United States suddenly broke out, U.S. troops in South Korea would be “outnumbered” and undersupplied, warns Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, the former deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Korea.

“The 28,500 U.S. Armed Forces personnel in South Korea are vastly outnumbered by North Korean forces, as well as [South Korean] forces that will conduct the overwhelming majority of the fighting. Unlike every conflict since the last Korean War, we will not be able to build up our forces prior to the start of hostilities,” Jouas wrote in a November 7 letter obtained by Newsweek to several Democratic members of Congress. It’s estimated North Korea has roughly 1.2 million troops.

Jouas’s letter is addressed to Representatives Ted Lieu and Ruben Gallego and Senator Tammy Duckworth, all veterans of the U.S. military who’ve recently expressed grave concern over President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and stance toward North Korea.

11_09_North_Korea It’s estimated a war between North Korea and the U.S. could lead to millions of deaths. Getty Images

From January 2012 to December 2014, Jouas was intimately involved in formulating plans to counter a North Korean attack on South Korea. “This threat was the most dangerous I’d faced since the end of the Cold War, and planning for it the most challenging problem I’d encountered in my 35-year career,” he said.

According to Jouas, it would take days to months for the necessary U.S. reinforcements, supplies and equipment to reach the Korean Peninsula. Once the troops finally arrive, Jouas added, “they may well find their bases subject to attack by conventional or chemical weapons, which will further delay their entry into the war.”…..More