Posted on 06/19/2009 2:20:53 AM PDT by maquiladora
The United States is sending anti-missile systems to Hawaii, after reports that North Korea is planning to launch a long range missile next month.
Earlier this week, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that North Korea was planning to launch a long-range missile directed at Hawaii or US military bases in Japan and Guam.
The report says sources within Japan's Defence Ministry predict the missile launch would take place around July 4 - US Independence Day.
In a statement, the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the US is concerned and is watching for any evidence that North Korea might be preparing to launch a missile.
A floating radar has also been deployed in the ocean around Hawaii and Mr Gates says he has ordered the deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems to Hawaii.
'North Korean leader ill' says newspaper
Meanwhile, a South Korean newspaper is reporting that the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is rapidly deteriorating.
The Chosun Ilbo reports North Korea is seeking to bring in an emergency helicopter and other expensive medical equipment through China.
Quoting a North Korean official in Beijing, the newspaper says Kim Jong-Il's health is worsening and the 67-year old was being treated in a Pyongyang hospital.
I thought we didn’t need that star wars crap?
Isn’t that what the left has been telling us for decades?
I assume S.Korea is on full alert and we are prepared to react accordingly(and then apologize for the miscommunication with the White House)
KILL THEM and their missle/nuke capabilities. Yes, I know about all the artillary aimed at Seoul. But I say pre-emptive strike against this rogue regime and suffer the loss. North Korean government and missle/nuke growing capabilities need to be OBLITERATED yesterday.
And know, I don't care about collateral damage. Kill them all...RIGHT NOW! Before they can mass kill others or blackmail the West. KILL THEM!
My wife and children are more important to me than the entire country of North Korea. Deal with it.
We have nothing mobile to reliably intercept a nuclear tipped ICBM.
Besides, we don’t need missile defense.
The NYT said so.
Check out the preface of ‘Advice to War Presidents’ by Angelo Codevilla @ Google Books. This book is a primer on War Statecraft and the author describes how faulty the US has fought wars from Wilson to GWB and how we have a propensity for losing the peace, fascinating read.
I would prefer a carrier group off their coast.
The time to intercept them is during launch. We have that capability on our ships off shore.
The George Washington & Ronald Reagan are both in the western pacific area at the moment.
the USS Reagan is just a few weeks underway now ......... my son is on the USS Howard, part of the group.
Agreed. If they’re indeed planning to do this, start dropping bunker busters now. Don’t fritz about with defensive missiles!
The last time an Asian country attacked Hawaii it resulted in four years of war. This time it would result in four years of hand wringing apologies.
“Agreed. If they’re indeed planning to do this, start dropping bunker busters now. Don’t fritz about with defensive missiles!”
I disagree. Use defensive missiles. Then announce that we are giving the systems to Israel, India and Taiwan free of charge.
Quickest way to get rid of nukes of rogue nations is knowing that your first strike will be nullified and we get a free counter.
If there was ever a case for a preemptive nuclear strike, this is it. Nuke Pyongyang til it glows.
There's NO way the NK military is decentralized enough to survive a decapitation attack like that. One city buster, problem solved.
Why didn’t we have this defense system in place already? Why wait for a threat to put legitimate defensive systems on line?
Interestingly, that Aegis type platform is low tech by today's standards and is inadequately tested.
Also, I seriously doubt Hussein is going to shoot down anything during the launch phase.
After its too late to intercept, then he might attempt something.
I would not live in Hawaii.
Target practice.
Get ‘em on the upward arc.
I have to wonder what the status of the Air Force’s Airborne Laser System is. Not that Obama would use it but, the ABL is supposed to be capable of shooting down missiles in their boost phase so the debris from the rocket falls back to earth over enemy territory. But either way, boost phase intercept or terminal phase intercept, Obama runs the risk of proving that SDI works and we can’t have that, now can we?
The High Energy Laser is now integrated on the aircraft with laser subsystem activation. The program plans to begin weapon system flight testing in early 2009 after the completion of High Power System Integration (HPSI) ground-testing and High Energy Laser performance tuning. The flight test program will verify correct operation of the entire weapon system including target tracking, atmospheric compensation, and airborne operation of the High Energy Laser. This initial flight test sequence will culminate in the lethal demonstration against a boosting missile planned for late 2009.
The North Korean situation sounds like the perfect field test to me. But again, can the Obama Administration afford to let people know that SDI works?
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