For the first time since September, North Korea has carried out a successful missile test, fired off the base at Sain Ni, traveling about 620 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. It’s nowhere near the farthest surface distance traveled from launch site.
Still, the missile appears to mark an important advance for the North Korean program, reaching a record height of 2,796 miles in the course of its flight. This further reflects the improved capability of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to survive re-entry.
While there are still questions about North Korea’s ability to steer missiles on long-range flights, the conceivable range of these ICBMs now puts the entire continental US in their sights. That doesn’t necessarily mean the North Koreans can hit those targets, but it makes it at least conceivable.
That makes US threats to “totally destroy” North Korea less and less practical, with a growing probability that North Korea could carry out devastating retaliatory strikes in response to a US attack.
This has, of course, been North Korea’s goal for years, with officials very public about wanting to have a retaliatory capability against the US that would blunt the regular US threats of attacking. Now having reached that, or nearly so, the US may be obliged to approach talks with North Korea on a more even level.
Gratz to Nth Korea!
I marvel at how the Sean Hannity types laud Trump’s uber-hawkish approach to N. Korea as a success. Mon. night, Hannity even noted how it’s been months since they have tested ballistic missiles, talk about not seeing the big picture.
So in the first 10 mo’s of Trump’s Administration, N. Korea has …
1. Developed an ICBM.
2. Developed a nuclear warhead.
3. Developed a two staged thermonuclear warhead, quibbling over whether it was a ‘hydrogen’ bomb is silly, it’s yield was over 100 times its previous atomic bomb.
The maddening thing is that they are still blaming Bill Clinton. After Clinton’s deal, N. Korea froze their missile testing and stopped producing plutonium. They only resumed it during the GWB years.
I think exaggerating the significance of this is significant. A knowledgeable and wise diplomatic response would to be stopping military displays along the N Korean border and de-escalate the tension in the region.
Of course this would play poorly with the hillbillies Trump entertains as a base, but the world might appreciate not having anouther war any time soon.
Why now? That may never become known. However the following is my speculation. A short while ago President Trump berated Secretary Tillerson on his apparent attempts together with China to start some kind of dialogue with North Korea. “Do not waste your time” he bellowed. I consider the possibility that the launch is a signal that these attempts have broken down.
What a concept – the prospective victims of America’s military strength might actually be able to strike back effectively. I guess the question now is: how much does the Trump admin actually care about keeping Americans safe? Trumps steps so far have clearly already risked a catastrophic war, and the threats continue.
Two narcissistic despots railing at each other, however the US has itself to blame, this is what happens when you sign an agreement, and the next President chooses to scrap that agreement regardless that Congress has ratified the matter and provided funds for it! We should note that the same fool that advised Bush to cancel the North Korean nuclear deal is the same fool that got into Trumps ear about Iran on John “BONKERS Bolton” let us hope he has been shut out of the current North Korean Matters!
I see no mention of the fact that Repug POTUS GWBush removed the USA from the important anti-ICBM treaty in 2002. No need for the USA to follow international treaties, of course-might is right.
Now the USA with its threats and huuuge military might is TERRIFIED of a real attack, even if it could pulverize the DPRK which has awaited a peace treaty from the last destruction of its land in the 1950s.
DPRK will be done away with within months. Still most likely after the Seoul Olympics, and Trump has Congress to deal with for his tax plan. Once these things are behind, the decimation will begin. The decision has already been made, it’s just about timing now. Lots of money to be made in the postwar contracts. You will see how smart it was for Kim to do this. Colossal mistake.