Does Latest North Korean Missile Launch Pose New Threat?

The alleged success of the missile launch takes on a new sense of gravity because the North Koreans claim the missile has intercontinental capability.

If true, some observers believe the supposed ICBM could reach Alaska, thus putting the United States at a serious risk.

According to the North Koreans, Kim Jong-un oversaw the launch of the Hwasong-14 missile and claim it reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometers and traveled 933 kilometers.

The North has long sought to build a rocket capable of delivering an atomic warhead to the continental United States — something that Trump has vowed “won’t happen.” Its possession of a working ICBM will force a recalculation of the strategic threat it poses.”

What remains unknown is if the North Koreans have been able to miniaturize a nuclear weapon that could serve as a warhead for the missile, or if they have mastered the technology to let the warhead survive re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.

There is no evidence to suggest the North Koreans have advanced their technology to create functional warheads.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement saying an “unidentified ballistic missile” was fired from a site in North Phyongan province and came down in the Sea of Japan.

The U.S. Pacific Command also confirmed the test and said it was a land-based launched intermediate range missile that flew for 37 minutes.

President Trump responded to the launch prior to North Korea’s claim that the missile had intercontinental capability. He directly chastised Kim Jong-un.

Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?”

Defense and nuclear experts had mixed comments on the significance of the test.

It was estimated to have reached an altitude that “greatly exceeded” 2,500 kilometers, Japan said, prompting arms control specialist Jeffrey Lewis to respond on Twitter: “That’s it. It’s an ICBM. An ICBM that can hit Anchorage not San Francisco, but still.”

David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists echoed his opinion that on a standard trajectory, using the available information, the alleged ICBM could have a range of 6,700 kilometers, which would put Alaska in jeopardy of a missile strike.

The Japanese defense ministry claimed the missile came down within 200 miles of Japan’s nautical coast. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shared his concern with reporters.

This launch clearly shows that the threat has grown.”

At this week’s G20 meeting in Germany, the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet to discuss the implications of the newest missile test and how to respond. Abe has urged Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia to “take more constructive measures” to lessen the North Korean threat.

President Trump has insisted that China, as a key sponsor of the North Korean dictatorship, increase the pressure on Kim Jong-un to rein in the rogue regime.

The current state of affairs is a direct result of the feckless, ineffective policies of the United States under the previous presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, all of whom failed miserably to stop North Korea’s drive to achieve nuclear weapon and ICBM capabilities.

Source: Breitbart