Posted on 04/01/2013 10:16:00 PM PDT by chemicalman
WASHINGTON – U.S. officials quietly are expressing concern that North Korea could use its “space launch vehicle” to explode a high-altitude nuclear device over the United States, creating an electromagnetic pulse that would destroy major portions of the U.S. electrical grid system as well as the nation’s critical infrastructures.
The concern is so great that U.S. officials who watch North Korea closely are continually monitoring the status of the North Korean “space launch vehicle,” whose status could suggest a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States.
They are aware of the three-stage missile North Korea launched last December that also orbited a “package,” which experts say could be a test to orbit a nuclear weapon that then would be deorbited on command anywhere over the U.S. and exploded at a high altitude, creating an EMP effect.
(Excerpt) Read more at mobile.wnd.com ...
We'd have to drop leaflets telling them they've been EMP'd.
My understanding is that the Norks may have a nuke “package” in orbit already and just need to position it in the right place and detonate it to get it to hit the US at a high altitude. Does our missile defense have the ability to handle that scenario? Am I understanding this right? (I’m just looking at this quickly now because I have a bunch of work I need to get done now.)
I’ve misplaced my white flag, so I’ll just say “I surrender!” :)
Back to the topic:
Does anyone know if North Korea could pull this off? I was under the impression that, while they may have been able to launch a “package” into low orbit that they do not have the ability to actually produce a weapon the size that would be needed to put it on a rocket.
See my post in #63, but I was under the impression that their last launch had already come down/burned up, that it was a test to see if they could launch something of X lbs into orbit... a dummy load. Do they have something still up there?
With all the hot air that little Nork windbag seems to possess it’s a wonder he’s not in orbit.
I learned to check the UK Daily Mail for news from America some time ago.
He’d bomb Austin, Alex Jones is there....
If the NorKs assemble another three stage missile at that launch site take it out.
Let them cry, whine and stamp their feet.
If they go nuts and swarm the border, then so be it, but we can’t take the risk of an EMP.
Let them know now, so there’s no uncertaincy. In fact, maybe it’s also time to light up their nuclear test site.
If they can sink a South Korean warship and get away with it, maybe the world will finally understand that doing NOTHING has a price.
I thought your comment appropriate and not at all out of line. This is an opinion forum after all.
Also, a WND headline like that really does not belong in Breaking News.
In my opinion.
This is not an advice forum but you might benefit from reading up on how to handle ad hominem attacks.
I seem to remember films in school telling me to “duck and cover” when the big one hit. Seeing as that has been going on for about sixty years I don’t think this is breaking news or even front page news. The Russians were far more rational than the Norks, and far more likely to make a working bomb and hit something with it.
That is important news — thanks for the link.
From the article:
“During the Cold War—and today—the United States has no Ballistic Missile Early Warning Radars or missile interceptors facing south. We would not even see an attack from the south coming.”
Wasn’t there an article here on FR about two weeks ago about the Administration limiting the hours of our southern radar systems where they would be on only 8 hours a day? Or that they would be defunded completely... I don’t remember the details. Did anyone read the thread I’m talking about?
Cue the John Lennon music.
Well, playing devil’s advocate on purpose but....9/11 happened with a Republican at the helm :0( .... So that isn’t a slam dunk argument with liberals....
P.S. No i do not think GWB was behind 9/11.... Just a disclaimer because someone, somewhere will misread the above statement.
Ok that’s it, where can I buy a ham radio? I was trained on it and certified YEARS ago....wish I woulda stayed with it.
I couldn’t agree with you more. They and their headlines especially aren’t very credible.
I agree. While EMP is a real concern in general, I'm fairly convinced that the claim there is a specific current concern from a North Korean EMP in the administration (used for the WND headline, but barely supported in the article) is a deliberate fabrication designed to generate WND hits and ad revenue, much like the Iran Fordow nuclear site explosion claims that WND stuck to for weeks (and which, I can assure you, are completely false.) Actually, the headlines now look like they are designed to get stupid, gullible FReepers to post them to breaking news to generate hits and ad revenue for Wing Nut Daily.
As an additional note, the article contains additional embarassing errors indicating the author is incompetent and hasn't the foggiest idea what they are talking about:
In response to North Korea’s initial bellicose rhetoric, Hagel ordered the deployment of additional Aegis anti-missile systems for the U.S. West Coast. They originally were destined for Europe. And a second anti-ballistic missile radar is to be installed in Japan.However, the Aegis anti-missile systems won’t be operational until 2017, although there are some systems already deployed along the West Coast.
1) Hagel didn't order the additional deployment of Aegis systems, ANYWHERE. He ordered the deployment of additional Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs), a completely different, much larger missile, in Alaska. And these systems weren't "destined for Europe."
2) Alaska isn't the "West Coast."
4) While there are some ships with Aegis BMD BASED on the West Coast, they aren't deployed there on BMD missions.
5) They aren't deployed there on BMD missions because they would be worthless. Current Aegis BMD can only intercept short and medium-short range missiles. They can help defend Japan against a North Korean attack, but they have no capability to defend the US against a North Korean attack and can't intercept ICBMs, or any sort of fractional orbital bombardment system (the shoot-down of our own satellite was a one-off unique case that couldn't be repeated operationally). And based on what Hagel CANCELED, Aegis will likely never have ICBM intercept capability.
At least, please take this out of "Breaking." The article is riddled with errors and you have to admit there's a pattern of WND just making stuff up. Though at times it's hard to tell WND lying from WND incompetence.
He didn’t demand anything.
So you don’t think ANY source should be banned? Is there never a reason to not use a source? Of course there. Credibility is the number one reason.
There are blogs that can’t be sourced in breaking news and are still treated as red headed step kids around here, so why is WND given more face time and credit than many credible conservative blogs? I’m not pushing for blog acceptance here, I am just saying that sources are discriminated against all the time around here (and rightfully so), so why shouldn’t WND be held to at least the same standards?
>>> I am so tired of the constant, incessant, panic-driven, Search-Engine-Optimized headlines coming out of WND that I am asking for an outright ban of anything coming from that publication.
Expressing your distrust of WND’s credibility or motives is one thing.
Suggesting that 1st ammendment rights be denied is another.
Do we have any nukes yet?
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