Posted on 07/02/2018 12:31:55 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
North Korea has continued to produce support equipment and launchers for one of its newer ballistic missiles through the first half of 2018, according to a recent U.S. military intelligence assessment described to The Diplomat by U.S. government officials.
According to a recent assessment released by the U.S. National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), which analyzes intelligence regarding ballistic missile threats for the U.S. Air Force, North Korea has continued to produce vehicles and support equipment for its Pukguksong-2/KN15 medium-range ballistic missile in 2018.
While production of launch vehicles—known as transporter-erector-launchers, or TELs—and support equipment has continued through the first half of 2018, North Korea has likely not produced additional Pukguksong-2 missiles, the assessment notes. North Korea may have produced as many as ten TELs for the Pukguksong-2.
In June 2017, a public NASIC assessment assessed the Pukguksong-2’s range at in excess of 1,000 kilometers. According to that assessment, the missile was not yet deployed then even though North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared it operational after its second flight test in May 2017.
The missile’s range would leave it best suited for use against targets in Japan, including U.S. military installations on Japan’s four main islands and Okinawa.
The Pukguksong-2 was the first North Korean ballistic missile to feature an indigenously designed and built integrated transporter-erector-launcher with continuous tracks that allow it to conduct launches from unpaved roads and other rough terrain.
This two-stage, solid-fuel missile—first flight-tested in February 2017 and once again in May 2017—is a land-based version of North Korea’s Pukguksong-1/KN11 submarine-launched ballistic missile. (EXERPT)
The coffins were delivered to NK around the 23rd. I’m sure it will take time to fill them and return them.
Wrong. https://www.38north.org/2018/06/yongbyon062618/ I won't trust NK. But I also won't jump to conclusions like the never-Trumpers.
I believe it was Alec Guinness, in one of the Star Wars movies.
Probably for Iran
This situation is a massive heap of speculation, mis-, and dis-information.
There is an agreement in principle about missiles and uranium enrichment. NK would be foolish to stop everything on that basis, thus losing bargaining power (in their eyes). When there is a detailed agreement signed, then we’ll see if NK is serious. And, by the way, have we lifted all sanctions against NK in the interim between agreement in principle and agreement in detail? (not sure, just asking)
And as to soldiers’ remains, some are saying zero returned, others 400. Maybe it’s time to quit speculating, condemning, questioning, until there is some real progress in negotiations.
And, yes, Mr. Trump needs to start playing it close to the vest. The time for broad statements is past. Time for brass tacks in private.
Yes, he is good too. Now, does this mean that all members of the state department are a bunch of scum bags? No, I am sure some are hard working, patriots. Then, some of the scum bags, are Hildebeast and John Kerry, among others. Utter scum.
Another scum bag around, is that weasel Koskinen, if he is still the IRS dude. Then, in other departments, there is Comey, Mcabe, Rosenstein, Peter Strzok. Utter scum sucking dirt bags. These are a few of them.
“Do you believe North Korea? Do you think they are telling the truth?”
i have no idea ... only time will tell ... but i CAN tell you one thing: i don’t sit here all day long posting fake news from fake website about it ...
Excellent advise!
I was in the Air Force for 20 years. I can assure you, not everyone has credence. I recall one James Clapper. If that dude says anything, I automatically don’t believe a word of it. Since I have very little trust in government, let’s wait for more honorable men like Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump to comment on it. I learned from my Vietnam experience, not to be too trusting in government.
Update: This is not "fake news", however you are in DENIAL about these realities, from sources that have never been questioned on FR and used for years. It is news that you do not want to be true (just like we all hope so) but wanting that to be does not make it so. I invite you to open your mind and wean off Fox and Friends(which hides this news due to agenda not journalism) and learn a little bit more of what is happening out here in Asia:
Link to article Sankei Shimbun article: 北朝鮮、ミサイル製造施設を拡張 南北や米朝首脳会談の時期に 非核意思に改めて疑義
Thank you. Largely agreed.
Many people are “Never North Korea” -ans”, more-so than they were ever “Never Trump”ers. I am sure you recognize that. AND, people like CNN and WaPO can be accused, yes, of being hypocritical because when North Korea jacks around and fools Trump they (usual MSM) jump in the game only out of hatred of Trump—though the intelligence in this case is proving to be correct), but when the same damned thing happened but even WORSE under Clinton and Obama being lied to and fooled by Pyongyang, they largely let out not a single peep and dismissed NK cheating outright. They have not been consistent in that regard.
Hey bro, my Japanese language skills are zero. I couldn’t figure out, how to find that in English, if it’s even possible.
Take the URL. Go to something you can search under “Google Website Translation”. Just Input URL, hit English. You’ll get a fairly accurate machine translation but it won’t be perfect by It’ll sound a bit like Yoda... but you’ll get the point.
Let me try.
The history of how deterrence actually worked during the Cold War shows that any deterrence arrangement between the U.S. and North Korea will necessarily be subject to a substantial risk of catastrophic failure. The only way to avoid exposing the U.S. to an unacceptable risk of a nuclear strike by a vastly more powerful North Korea in the future is to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea today–by diplomacy if possible (as unlikely as that now appears) or by preventive war if necessary.
Even without the protection that nuclear weapons provide, North Korea has attacked U.S. military assets, raided Japan and kidnapped Japanese citizens, sunk a South Korean ship, shelled South Korean territory, bombed a South Korean passenger jet, provided military assistance to hostile powers, and engaged in extensive cyberwar operations against the U.S. and its allies. Given this track record, North Korea will almost certainly act in a way that provokes a crisis in the future.
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