Posted on 03/30/2009 8:07:15 AM PDT by La Lydia
The United States can do nothing to stop North Korea from breaking international law in the next 10 days by firing a missile that is unlikely to be shot down by the U.S. or its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday. Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?"
"No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."
Last week, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile. But Gates said such a response is unlikely.
"I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii, that looked like it was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it," Gates said. "But I don't think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point."
North Korea has moved a missile onto a launch pad and says it will be fired by April 8. Pyonyang insists the missile is designed for carrying a communications satellite, not a nuclear warhead that the secretive nation appears bent on developing.....Gates conceded that North Korea will likely get away with thumbing its nose at the international community by test-firing the missile. He also said that six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions have been largely fruitless....Gates also lamented that the missile launch planned by dictator Kim Jong-Il comes just two months after President Obama took office....
Gates also said Japan is unlikely to shoot down a North Korean missile unless it drops debris on the island nation.....
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sounds like a good way to get more money for DoD.
Well get prepared already then!
But, hey, maybe if they take out Seattle they’ll like us more and we’ll be more highly esteemed in world view!!
Oddly enough, Japan is prepared...
Gates is hardly a dove, I guess he has his reasons....
We can’t or we won’t?
I will betcha DOD is not prepared to take out the missile for political reasons
I took that as a rhetorical device indicating that BO doesn’t want want to, and doesn’t think it’s important. Of course we are prepared, in the sense that we have the weapons needed and the ships in place to to it.
well i don’t understand why we have to wait for them to actually launch. if we deem there is a threat and we know where this missle is on the ground i would say a cruise missle or 2 would take it out with no problem. and if not a cruise i am sure we have other means.
i would venture to say we won’t....
People might pay them to take out Seattle - or San fran...
just saying
The last time N Korea shot missiles, one landed on Japanese soil, and no one did anything then.
Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile.
The Obama's will be traveling in EU next week - North Korea will launch and no action will be taken...imho.
obv he was told to say this cuz anyone with half a brain wouldnt come out and say this publicly!!!
WTH??
Can we send our defense dollars to Japan? Can we outsource the missile intercept responsibility? I think the dollars will be spent wisely over there and they seem to know what they’re doing lately.
What about Kenya? They seem to be the Dictator-In-Chief's favorite country ...
Then there is the PAC-3 missile for closer range. It doesn't have an explosive payload because it blows up the target by kinetic energy.
All these things are public knowledge.
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