Pentagon officials say that the decision to delay a planned US missile test in California was based on a desire to “avoid misperceptions” by North Korea as the two countries both insist they are on the brink of war with the other.
At the same time, political officials seem more concerned that the delay is going to stymie their hostility toward North Korea, with Obama Administration official Dan Pfeiffer insisting the US will never give in to North Korea and that the delay of the launch means the “onus is on North Korea” to meet various US demands.
Pentagon officials say that the test launch, of a nuclear-capable ICBM, will not take place on Tuesday as initially planned but will still happen “soon” to prove that the US remains committed to improving its nuclear attack capabilities.
North Korea is expected to conduct a missile test of its own in the next week or so, with a medium range missile having been moved to their east coast, the first and materially only shift of military force by the North Korean military despite all of the rhetoric.