'US should stop provoking North Korea'

The United States should stop provoking North Korea and avoid escalating an already tense situation that could easily lead to "an all-out war" on the Korean peninsula, says former Pentagon official Michael Maloof. A U.S. official said on Tuesday that North Korea might test-fire mobile ballistic missiles at any time now. The CNN reported on Wednesday that the unnamed official has said the most recent intelligence shows Pyongyang has completed launch preparations. Provocative acts by the U.S. have brought the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula to the brink of a war. The U.S. has flown two nuclear-capable bombers over South Korea as part of a military exercise. It has also sent guided-missile destroyers to the Korean coast. Moreover, on April 4, the U.S. military deployed the 23rd Chemical Battalion to South Korea."Recently, when North Koreans began to raise concerns about the joint U.S.-South Korean military maneuvers, our response was to show military might especially after North Korea threatened a preemptive nuclear strike on the United States. The United States sent B-2 bombers from the United States into South Korea for a bombing scenario just 50 miles south of the North Korean border," said Maloof in a phone interview with the U.S. Desk on Tuesday. "This is the kind of activity that needs to stop simply because the United States is militarily more powerful than North Korea but it doesn't need to flaunt it and it doesn't need to be doing things that are going to agitate an already very sensitive situation on the peninsula," he added. Some experts say the tensions on the Korean peninsula are an excuse for the U.S. to step up its military role in the region to encircle China. In a policy move that has been dubbed the "Asia Pivot," the Obama administration has shifted its priorities to the Pacific region. Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has previously indicated that by 2020, 60% of U.S. naval ships will be in the Pacific. This American response is due in part to the surprising advancements made by the Chinese military, such as the successful developments of its aircraft carrier, advanced jet fighters, and more cost-effective drones.