Bush: U.S. Had “Reasonable Chance” of Intercepting North Korean Missile
July 7, 2006 :: AP :: News
President Bush said today that the U.S. military had “a reasonable chance” of shooting down North Korea’s Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday, had the missile not failed during its test launch. Speaking before reporters in Chicago, the President added that “our anti-ballistic systems are modest, they are new.” If the North Korean missile had continued to what is now believed to have been its intended target, an area off the coast of Hawaii, the Pentagon might have targeted the Taep’o-dong with any number of 11 ground-based interceptor missiles currently deployed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Tien Ma 1
» Missile system details for: Fort Greely, Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
Report: North Korean Missile Was Aimed Off Hawaii
July 7, 2006 :: Reuters :: News
The long-range Taep’o-dong 2 ballistic missile test-launched by North Korea this week was aimed at an area of the ocean close to Hawaii, reports the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun The information comes from data collected by U.S. and Japanese Aegis-equipped destroyers on the Taep’o-dong’s angle of take-off and altitude. The Sankei Shimbun speculated that North Korea may have targeted Hawaii to demonstrate to the U.S. that it was capable of landing a missile there, or because the island is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific fleet. (Article, Link)
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Shapiro: Missile Defense Wanted
July 6, 2006 :: Analysis
Ben Shapiro, a 2006 Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute, discusses the urgent need for missile defenses on FamilySecurityMatters.org. Without an effective missile defense system, notes Shapiro, the U.S. risks defeat in the War on Terror and in future confrontations with rogue nations. Since terrorist groups must have the aid of state sponsors in order to succeed in their operations, the U.S. and its allies must have the capability to destroy these state sponsors in order to successfully prosecute the War on Terror. However, the absence of an effective U.S. missile defense system provides rogue nations with a way to deter such attacks. Shapiro lays out a plausible and troubling scenario:
Imagine, for example, that Iran worked with al-Qaeda to station a ballistic missile off the coast of California. Imagine also that Iran, which is currently racing to update its missile technology to take advantage of American shortcomings, develops missiles capable of reaching the United States directly. Al-Qaeda launches its ballistic missile over Los Angeles, and the city is destroyed. America, recognizing Iranian sponsorship, seeks to retaliate. Iran, however, explains calmly that if any attempt at regime change is made, it will launch its missiles on Israel and America. Would a president knowingly sacrifice millions of additional lives to avenge the millions lost in Los Angeles?
This is international blackmail, and it is promoted by American vulnerability. There is a reason that Kim Jong Il spent so much time and effort developing both nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology capable of carrying those weapons to America’s shores. Kim Jong Il, like most of America’s enemies, sees that he can prevent aggressive American action by gaining a deterrent. The more vulnerable we are to ballistic missile threat, the more our enemies will exploit the vulnerability—and less likely we are to do anything about it.
(Article, Link)
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Kennedy on ABC News, Calling for Urgency to Missile Defenses
July 6, 2006 :: ABC News :: News
Brian T. Kennedy, president of the Claremont Institute, discussed U.S. missile defense policy today on ABC News. Following North Korea’s launch of the Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile yesterday, Kennedy urged the Bush administration to move forward on developing and deploying effective missile defenses. “The President is very well intentioned when it comes to missile defense. It’s just that we’re not putting the resources toward it quickly enough,” he said. (Link)
» Watch Brian T. Kennedy on ABC News
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Spring on North Korea Options
July 6, 2006 :: The Heritage Foundation :: Analysis
Baker Spring of the Heritage Foundation yesterday laid out a comprehensive set of military capabilities for countering North Korea’s growing missile threat. He noted that these capabilities should be seen as part of a larger “damage limitation strategy” that would lessen both the likelihood and potential impact of a military aggression by North Korea on the U.S. and its allies. The first capability would be a conventional defense of South Korea. Such a defense would encompass the achievement of air dominance to support precision air-based attacks, as well as the ability to destroy North Korean artillery, rocket systems, and armored columns. The second military capability would be a global, layered missile defense system, including the deployment of space-based interceptors and sensors. Spring noted that the U.S. should facilitate direct Japanese and South Korea participation in such an effort. The third capability would be a new nuclear deterrent adapted to the requirements of the post-Cold War world, in particular with respect to rogue regimes. Such a deterrent should be capable of holding targets at risk that are valued by the North Korean leadership as means for personal and regime survival, such as strategic weapons, personal security systems, intelligence services, and other instruments of domestic repression. The fourth military capability would be preemption, to be used if U.S. intelligence believes that a Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile has been armed with a nuclear warhead. The U.S. should be prepared to preempt with attack aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles armed. The missiles should be armed with conventional warheads when there is high confidence of destroying the targets in question, or nuclear warheads if necessary. (Article, Link)
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North Korea Said Preparing for Further Taep’o-Dong 2, Other Missile Launches
July 6, 2006 :: News
North Korea could be preparing to launch three to four additional missiles, including another long-range Taep’o-dong 2, according to media sources. NBC News reported the possible Taep’o-dong 2 launch, although it noted that the missile is not yet on its launch pad. Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo, two major South Korean newspapers, added that North Korea also seems to be preparing to launch additional short- or medium range missiles. (Article, Link)
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Japan Wants Joint Missile Defense System “As Soon as Possible”
July 6, 2006 :: AFP :: News
Japan wants to deploy a joint missile defense with the U.S. as quickly as possible, said Japan’s Defense Minister Fukushiro Nukaga today. “Along with the establishment of a surveillance radar network, we want to work with the United States to build an interception mechanism as soon as possible,” Nukaga said, speaking before the Japanese parliament. Japan began its missile defense cooperation with the U.S. after North Korea’s 1998 test launch of a Taep’o-dong 1 ballistic missile, which flew over Japan. In June 2006, Japan and the U.S. signed an agreement to expand missile defense cooperation, committing to the joint production of interceptor missiles, and allowing the transfer of missile defense technology from Japan to the U.S. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, North Korea
» Missile system details for: Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
North Korea Test Launches Seventh Missile; Possibly Twelve Total
July 5, 2006 :: AP :: News
North Korea test-launched a seventh ballistic missile today, provoking international condemnation and possible sanctions. An official at the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the seventh missile was either short- or medium-range. Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported that the missile landed six minutes after launch, but did not give a location. North Korea’s actions provoked immediate international condemnation, including the convening of an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council and calls in Japan for economic sanctions against the communist regime.
The Chosun Ilbo reports that, overall, there were two salvos of missiles, and as many as twelve total, with the second salvo perhaps also including a number of surface-to-ship missiles. (Article, Link)
» Chosun Ilbo: North Korea fires as many as 12 missiles
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North Korea Fires Taepo-Dong 2, Five Short- and Medium-Range Missiles
July 5, 2006 :: Washington Times :: News
North Korea yesterday test-launched a long-range Taep’o-dong 2 ballistic missile, which broke up 42 seconds into its flight, and five short- to medium-range missiles, including one that landed near Russian territory. According to the Pentagon, the missiles were launched from “multiple locations” and there is a possibility that North Korea will conduct more test launches over the next few days. The Taep’o-dong 2, which is believed to have a range of approximately 15,000 km (9,300 m), broke apart 42 seconds after its launch for reasons as of yet unknown. The five shorter range Nodong and Scud missiles all landed in the Sea of Japan. All six launches were detected and tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). No actions were taken by the U.S. military in response. The White House referred to the missile launches as “a clear provocation,” and said that North Korea’s decision to escalate its standoff with the international community will bring it further alienation. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: NHK-1/2, Scud B variant, Tien Ma 1
North Korea Must Disclose Missile Test Intentions, Bush Says
June 28, 2006 :: News
President Bush said on Monday, June 26 that North Korea must disclose its intentions concerning its planned Taep’o-dong 2 long-range missile test, as well as what kind of warhead it has on the missile. “The North Koreans should notify the world of their intentions, what they have on top of that vehicle,” the President said. “We don’t know. That’s part of the problem. It’s a non-transparent society that ought to be sharing its intentions with the rest of the world.” The President added that Pyongyang’s behavior has been “provocative,” and that the country has not responded to calls to disclose its intentions. (Article, Link)
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