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Michael Pregent, a 28-year intelligence veteran, has been analyzing Kim Jong-un’s recent military posturing with the eye of an expert. The devil is in the details, and in the case of North Korea’s military, there are a number of surprising facts exposed that Kim Jong-un does not want you to know.
The Sun reports that Pregent believes that many of the weapons and equipment seen during the April 15th military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea were fake. “This was more about sending a message than being combat effective,” he said.
Pregent started his analysis by looking at many of the soldiers’ attire. Of their sunglasses, he commented that they looked “like a flat-face frame, and that’s not ballistic. That would wrap around and would also protect your eyes.”
He also believes that the fingerless gloves worn by many of the troops were there simply for show. “Some of our guys do have them, but most guys go all the way with full gloves based on the heat of the barrel from a round, not to mention they’re fire resistant if you need to pick up something,” he remarked.
Pregent also believes that the projectiles attached to the AK-47’s were “laughable,” as they even cover the outside of the muzzle, as reported by Metro.
The grenade launchers pictured are most likely helical magazines for ammunition, rigged to look like launchers.
Pregent believes that the other projectiles were fake plastic as well. He went on to tell Fox News, “They have a legitimate military capability with their artillery – why pretend in other spaces?”
Many experts believe that the missiles on display at the parade were also fake. Consider the nosecone on the missile pictured in the background of this photo:
All of these elements of military posturing are certain to be on the minds of those who advise President Donald Trump on how to best deal with North Korea. Publicly, Kim Jong-un puts up this brave face, but in truth, he knows that the military might in South Korea and floating in the ocean next to him could easily devastate and overwhelm him.
Many expect some sort of negotiated deal with the communist dictator in the future without conflict or bloodshed. The question is: how long will the world at large allow for silly posturing and threats to continue?
