[Boogieman]

“But with the USS McCain in the area I doubt they could get a missile very far.”

I think you’re missing the point of the article. They’ve already launched a missile, but instead of targeting us directly, this missile put some unknown device in orbit. If that device is an EMP weapon, and the Norks do have those blueprints courtesy of Russia, then it could deploy from orbit to detonate over the US.

A ship sitting next to NK could do nothing to attack a device coming at us from orbit.

[ZX12R]

A ship sitting next to NK could do nothing to attack a device coming at us from orbit.

Some years ago, we deployed the same radar system that I think is now being deployed near Korea, which was used for targeting a satellite in a decaying orbit, for shoot down. So, maybe they could.