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What the US Knew About North Korea's Second ICBM Launch Before It Happened
The Diplomat ^ | July 31, 2017 | Ankit Panda

Posted on 08/03/2017 4:57:16 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

What the US Knew About North Korea's Second ICBM Launch Before It Happened

U.S. military intelligence observed North Korea’s preparation for a second ICBM test from Mupyong-ni.

By Ankit Panda

July 31, 2017

The United States had anticipated North Korea’s July 28 test launch of the Hwasong-14/KN20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Mupyong-ni and also detected the launch pad used that day, The Diplomat has learned.

According to a U.S. government source with knowledge of North Korea’s weapons programs who spoke to The Diplomat, the United States had been watching the site “for weeks and saw some of the preparations in the 24 hours preceding launch.”

The source added that confidence about an imminent launch on July 28 was high by about “four hours prior to launch.” This assessment was also partly based on North Korea’s set-up of a VIP viewing area near the launch site for Kim Jong-un and other senior regime officials.

A “Surprise Attack”?

The July 28 launch of the Hwasong-14 ICBM was different from the July 4 launch, which was the first-ever of an intercontinental-range missile by North Korea, in two important ways. The first was that North Korea successfully demonstrated much greater performance and theoretical range given the observed trajectory.

The second was that North Korea carried out the launch at nighttime and in conditions likely meant to simulate operational use. A report on the launch carried by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) noted that it demonstrated “the capability of making surprise launch of ICBM in any region and place any time.”

If the United States was indeed able to successfully detect activity prior to launch, North Korea’s claim of being able to carry out a surprise launch was overstated.

(Excerpt) Read more at thediplomat.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hwasong14; icbm; mupyongri; nkorea
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1 posted on 08/03/2017 4:57:16 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster; AmericanInTokyo; Steel Wolf; nuconvert; MizSterious; endthematrix; ...

P!


2 posted on 08/03/2017 4:58:11 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

-—The Diplomat has learned-—

Leak? Why did our military leak this fact?


3 posted on 08/03/2017 5:02:18 AM PDT by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column)
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To: bert
Not all leaks are unauthorized.
4 posted on 08/03/2017 5:13:20 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

We knew everything but we and the rest of the world sat picking lint from our belly buttons and did nothing. He’s gotten to this point because the world watched and did nothing for all these years. Just like Mueller and Comey watched terrorist cells come and grow on US soil and have ignored them. Just like Mueller ignored or did nothing when Saudi Arabia, Russia and England all warned him about the Boston Bombers. Just like Mueller ignored the dozen of reports on the Ft. Hood shooter. Just like the San Bernardino shooter was known but the feds sat around watching. Watching doesn’t do jack when lives are at stake.


5 posted on 08/03/2017 5:17:54 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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To: TigerLikesRooster

I have read or seen reports that the Russians in charge of the missiles that had been moved into Cuba had the “operational” authority to launch them. Additional, the missiles were operational and were able to be launched.

Castro was screaming and pressuring the Russians to launch and had the Russians complied, America would have been nuked. It is unknowable if a world wide exchange with Russia would have ensued or if it would have been a “limited” exchange.

The point of all of this is that CASTRO would have launched if he could have. I don’t know if he had bunkers he thought he could have survived in, or had a temporary escape plan to flee Cuba until he could return. Who knows.

Bottom line, the missiles were operational and could have been launched. We were “lucky” the Russian in charge in Cuba was sane, or at least, followed the chain of command.

That is NOT the situation in N.K.!!!


6 posted on 08/03/2017 5:23:42 AM PDT by Gadsden1st
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To: bgill
Kim Jong-un was hanging around next to missiles launchers for last two launches. I suspect U.S. military saw it, too. Two precious opportunity of decapitation strike were wasted.

N. Koreans are probably used to the fact that U.S. is watching everything. The other fact they are used to is that U.S. won't do anything nevertheless.

7 posted on 08/03/2017 5:23:51 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
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To: bgill

What you said.


8 posted on 08/03/2017 5:25:03 AM PDT by null and void (ObamaCare, giving the government the power of life and death over Americans since March 23, 2010...)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Correction: next to missiles launchers a missile launcher
9 posted on 08/03/2017 5:27:11 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Do you think that this is reality (ie: NORKS close to functional nuke-armed ICBM), or are we being manipulated into thinking that?

Think of how much a war on the Korean peninsula would change the political landscape, both national and international.
Might this be a more elaborate "Gulf of Tonkin" scenario?

I'm not sure, but I know we'll find out soon enough.

10 posted on 08/03/2017 5:29:59 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

>> partly based on North Korea’s set-up of a VIP viewing area near the launch site for Kim Jong-un and other senior regime officials

Hey, Trump, want to win a war in 30 seconds?


11 posted on 08/03/2017 5:30:34 AM PDT by struggle (The)
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To: Psalm 73; SJackson; governsleastgovernsbest; BenLurkin

With Hillary as President?
Yes, we would be manipulated, and the conflict manipulated. She DID THIS already with her fake-news, post-impeachment escalation of the Yugoslavian-Muslim “war” encouraged by her ABCNNBCBS press corpse.
But Trump is not Hillary. We are not being manipulated by Trump - In fact, if anything, BECAUSE the national press corpse REFUSES to give him any credit, and BECAUSE they (in their minds) CANNOT even permit him any victory at all under ANY circumstances so minor as his wife’s “dresses” in public, the opposite is occurring.

He is being prevented from taking effective action by the press simple-minded refusal to create the atmosphere he needs to act within!


12 posted on 08/03/2017 5:38:49 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Psalm 73
All you have to do is to watch N. Korean announcement and missile launches. It is not the case of U.S. put words into Kim Jong-un's mouth, unlike Iraq.

On the contrary, U.S. has avoiding this problem for a long time. This is not a war which can be managed. This is not the war military/industrial complex wants. It is not a low risk war which can go on for many years, and make them rich. Deep State would rather focus on Syria and Afghanistan. They are their kind of war. They have been playing down N. Korean problem for more than a couple of decades. It is not their kind of war. They thought they were making so much money in China that they made sure nothing interfered their rally.

Deep State may be evil, but also vain, selfish, and more stupid than you think.

Not every war originates from U.S.. You cannot avoid all international conflicts just by walking away. They will find you eventually.

13 posted on 08/03/2017 5:50:56 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

THAT CRUISE MISSILE IS COMING AT US! IT SAY, "TO KIM WITH LOVE, D J T.". IF WE ALL NOT ABOUT TO DIE I WOULD ORGANIZE A FIRING SQUAD..."
14 posted on 08/03/2017 6:50:14 AM PDT by BigEdLB (To Dimwitocrats: We won. You lost. Get used to it.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

well I should hope so!


15 posted on 08/03/2017 7:05:11 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (#DeplorableMe #BitterClinger #HillNO! #cishet #MyPresident #MAGA #Winning #covfefe)
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To: bgill
Watching doesn’t do jack when lives are at stake.

All that tells me is, the wrong lives are at stake.

16 posted on 08/03/2017 7:06:56 AM PDT by BlackbirdSST (We are the unOrganised Militia. We are "We The People"! BLOAT.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Kim Jong-un was hanging around next to missiles launchers for last two launches. I suspect U.S. military saw it, too. Two precious opportunity of decapitation strike were wasted.

The next one needs to have an "accident".

17 posted on 08/03/2017 7:32:57 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW!“At 9 a.m. this morning a shipbo Building the Wall! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

And some “leaks” of this sort are actually true...


18 posted on 08/03/2017 7:44:26 AM PDT by ManHunter (You can run, but you'll only die tired... Army snipers: Reach out and touch someone)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

If we ever decide to take North Korea out we better do it all the way... then we can turn to the Chinese and say, “they’re dead all dead - what’s there to fight about now?”. The honor of graves? Then we’ll move on...


19 posted on 08/03/2017 8:13:34 AM PDT by GOPJ (To totalitarians an open inquisitive mind is more dangerous than a Marine with a rifle-James Mattis)
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To: Gadsden1st

There have been many Peal Harbors in the grand sweep of history. They are not over with.


20 posted on 08/03/2017 8:14:09 AM PDT by Bonemaker
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