Posted on 07/27/2017 6:55:03 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
North Korea's recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile has increased the danger the country's leader Kim Jong Un will be able to strike the United States sooner than expected, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said on Wednesday.
Commenting on reports that the July 4 test of what the military is calling a KN-20 missile moved up estimates of the timeline for fielding a reliable long-range nuclear missile, Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander, said in a brief interview, "We believe they have."
"It is a bit of a game changer for us," the four-star general said of the missile test that flew 1,700 miles into space and flew for 37 minutes—longer than any previous North Korean missile flight test.
A defense official said the new intelligence assessment, which was presented to Congress on Wednesday, concludes that North Korea's missile program is advancing faster than earlier estimates had predicted.
The latest assessment says the missile can reach the West Coast of the United States. Earlier estimates said the KN-20 could only reach Alaska and Hawaii.
Additionally, North Korea appears to be preparing for another test of the KN-20 in the coming days, U.S. officials said. Another test would further heighten already high tensions.
The military currently has 36 long-range missile defense interceptors deployed in Alaska and California that are capable of knocking out a North Korean ICBM.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said in an interview last week the North Korean nuclear missile threat is becoming urgent.
Pompeo said North Korea currently has a limited nuclear missile capability but is advancing toward a reliable nuclear strike weapon.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
This is what happens when you kick the can down the road. Clinton, Obama pretty much insured this would happen. They knew it was going on but decided not to do anything. Now they are capable of long range missles. thanks democrats.
The Bushes too. Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama was an increasingly accelerated list of incompetents and actual malignant traitors.
You neglected GW Bush, who is equally as guilty as Clinton and Obama.
Probably MORE so than Clinton.
If North Korea has it, so does Iran
I am still waiting for Jimmah Cater to return his Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him 2002 for ‘brokering the nuclear non-proliferation treaty with the Norks’. A few short weeks later, we learned that they had completely ignored the treaty and were nuclear. He should have returned it, with the money, back in 2002.
Striking the U.S. would guarantee, since the Obamunists are no longer in charge, that North Korea would cease to exist as a political entity and that Lil’ Kim would cease to exist as well. He knows it, too. He’s either totally nuts or bluffing way above his ability to deliver.
The best scenario is preemption, by a nuclear “accident” to their facility, with plausible deniability and another “accident” to Kim himself.
The game changing factors include the missile structure is one that is deploy-able from a submerged submarine 1000 miles off the coast that by international maritime law is permitted to be there. The detonation signature is also very troubling demonstrating a particular level of advancement that can easily be bolted on to in a very short time. Like opening the Pandora’s box and now it’s too late.
Gotta put B43 in there also.
And it has been how long the USA has has the power and technology to reduce these chirping assholes to cinders? What’s the big deal? They make a wrong move and we send them back to the Stone Age. You think they don’t know that? Of course they do.
It’s just China sticking a thumb in the USA eye. NK is just a little puppet.
Tell me friend, when NK has 100 nuclear icbms and slbms, what we will do when they nuke Japan, or New York, and retaliating will mean they launch the other 99 and literally wipe us out? Destroying Pyongyang isn’t much of a trade off and they know it.
I think it is time we test our anti-missile tech on everything and anything that the Norks put in the air.
Totally true, and would sell it to anyone or any entity that had the cash.
Also, the missile is unnecessary. Build all the non-fissionable elements of the bomb here with off-the-shelf parts, and bribe some 3d world “diplomat” to bring the Pu in through his diplomatic “pouch.”
And to make it even easier, use U-235 and gun-type weapon.
Crude but effective. Ask the people of Hiroshima.
And turning that into a thermonuclear device isn’t hard.
Exactly.
Imagine Abdul and Achmed pulling up in their 1997 Toyota van in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 51st and 5th in NYC. One last prayer facing toward Mecca and a hug, then touch two wires together.....
America stops.
I wonder if when North Korea is attacked that Iran will be too at the same time?
They are sharing technology so go for the 2 for 1 attack special.
Why am I not surprised? And who believes Iran does not already have nukes? Give me a break,Iranians,North Koreans,Russians,Chinese they all work together thanks to Hillary and Bill and their cohorts they have 20%of our Uranium to pass around. When Madeline Halfbright worked for Bill she traveled around lamenting the fact we are the only ones who had nukes and it was not fair.
There is a video of it somewhere.
Well they took care of that
Once an ICBM is launched, here are the options to stop it. To protect the continental U.S., the United States has 30 ground-based interceptor missiles in Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The United States is working to deploy other anti-missile systems, such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD system, but those are designed to intercept shorter-ranged missiles.
The military has shown that it can take down ballistic missiles with laser-armed planes, going back to 1983. Today, the Missile Defense Agency is researching new methods for stopping an ICBM before it hits the air. Lasers are still the most attractive option. “One of the options available to us that we are going to start testing here in the next couple years is a laser aboard a unmanned vehicle, [or drone] something that has some level of persistence that can be in the area and could engage when the missile is at its most easily targetable, but that’s some ways off,” said the official, referring to the low-power-laser demonstrator program.
The program follows the airborne-laser program, or ABL. “We have proven that capability, so now the idea is if we can make it small enough and powerful enough and have a UAV with sufficient dwell capability, we would be able to keep them in some numbers over an area,” said the official.
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