It is also during these short-of-war incidents that the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance will be put to the test. Mixed messages coming out of both Washington and Seoul imply the relationship is under strain, but that could change drastically in the wake blatant acts of North Korean hostility. As others have pointed out, the more likely threat coming out of Pyongyang is not a nuclear attack, but its ability to sow discontent and division among its adversaries. The United States and South Korea must come up with a strategy for dealing with a DPRK limited war together. They must agree ahead of time what responses are prescribed, what will be done together, independently—or they must at least establish a management system for doing so. The heat of the moment is not the time to be holding such discussions.

The United States would be derelict in its duties to not prepare for limited war with North Korea. But even military options cannot produce positive outcomes without proper diplomacy and world opinion firmly in America’s corner. Using every tool of statecraft is not an option, it is an imperative.

Edward Chang is a contractor-mariner for Military Sealift Command. When not at sea, he is a freelance writer who focuses on military history and national-security issues. Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s and do not represent the official position of any government agency.

Image: North Korean military participate in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on October 12, 2015. REUTERS/KCNA