David Silbey

Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

David Silbey is a professor of history at Cornell University, specializing in military history, defense policy and battlefield analysis. If true, he says the news amounts to more of a political statement than a military one.

Silbey says:

“It’s highly unlikely that the North Koreans will supply enough soldiers to make any substantial difference, even if they are special forces. They are there to show North Korea’s commitment to the Russian alliance in a way that puts North Korean lives on the line.  

“They’ll almost certainly see combat and we’ll likely hear a lot about that, to emphasize the sacrifice. During WWII, Winston Churchill famously talked about how having Americans die fighting to protect Britain would cement the alliance like nothing else.”