We’re well aware of North Korea’s focus on building up its military. Not only does it have an impressive array of ground forces, it has been on the quest for effective nuclear weapons and delivery systems for some years. While what we know is limited, we do get glimpses of what the North is doing when they conduct an underground nuclear weapons test, or by conducting test launches of their missiles as we recently witnessed. Their destination is clear, it’s just their position on that path to becoming an effective nuclear state that is in doubt.
While it remains doubtful that North Korea could launch a missile with any warhead, let alone a nuclear one, that could travel from its shores to the western US, hitting Hawaii might be a different story.
North Korea could soon have the capacity to launch an attack on Hawaii that would devastate America’s Pacific military bases, accelerating the need for the United States to upgrade missile defenses in the area.
The United States today relies on ground-based ballistic missile interceptors deployed in California and Alaska to protect Hawaii, but these defenses would do little to guard U.S. territory in the Pacific against a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which officials believe is nearing completion.
There is some good news about all of this. We do have an effective defense for such an attack, however it is not in permanent installation in Hawaii.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency in February test fired a new SM-3 Block IIA missile from Hawaii that successfully intercepted an incoming ballistic missile, but the Pentagon does not maintain a permanent missile defense installation or detection capabilities on the Hawaiian Islands.
The thought now is that this system needs to be made permanent in Hawaii.
Ariel Cohen, director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources, and Geopolitics at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, told the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday that the Defense Department needs to immediately upgrade the Aegis Ashore facility in Hawaii from experimental to operational to guard against North Korean aggression.
“Senior national security leaders have stated that the U.S. needs to work off the assumption that North Korea will have ICBM capabilities soon, and in this business ‘soon’ could mean five to 10 years, or earlier,” Cohen said.
“This question is, do we need to wait until North Korea successfully launches a test ICBM to know that they have that capacity? The answer is no … The [Aegis Ashore] is a proven system. Why would we protect our European allies before we protect the homeland?”
North Korea’s goal of at least being able to employ nuclear blackmail if not being able to prosecute a nuclear war is very clear. With its leader making bellicose comments regarding the US, he needs to be taken seriously. While their technology is no match for American weapons, they can still do an enormous amount of damage if allowed to successfully strike first. It must be a priority of the US to prevent that.
Source: Washington Free Beacon
That would start WWIII, CHINA IS WIT NORTH KOREA! If you know history China sided with North Korea in the war in the 50’s
North Korean Dictator needs to review the history books and look what happened the last time someone messed with Hawaii.
Hawaii wants to destroy itself with refugees.
I think we can keep China out of it by promising to build a Wal-Mart super store next to the New McDonald’s where North Korea used to be
Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it…
The way Hawaii has turned against America and our Great President, have at it.
Send-in the Drones. Blow up the Missiles b4 they leave ground.
Tell China to stop this or we will stop all trade with them. China is the ONLY reason this fat little sissie is making these threats.
That picture can’t be North Korea.
Wes Ralstin