Gates Orders Missile Interceptors To Hawaii
The United States has positioned more missile defenses around Hawaii as a precaution against a possible North Korean launch across the Pacific, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today.
“We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the west in the direction of Hawaii,” Gates said.
Gates told reporters at the Pentagon he has sent the military’s ground-based mobile missile system to Hawaii, and positioned a radar system nearby. Together the systems theoretically could detect and shoot down a North Korean missile if it came to that.
“Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say … we are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American territory,” Gates said.
A Japanese newspaper reported today that North Korea might fire its most advanced ballistic missile toward Hawaii around the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the U.S.
A new missile launch – though not expected to reach U.S. territory – would be a brazen slap in the face of the international community, which punished North Korea with new U.N. sanctions for conducting a second nuclear test on May 25 in defiance of a U.N. ban.
I would say “we have some concerns” I wonder how long we are going to sit on our hands and let them continue to improve their missile program to the point they will be able to reach the US.
Sally
This is probably the first time America has taken a DEFENSIVE position, when threatened with missle and/or nuclear attack!
We should be targeting North Korea.
Some commander and chief we have. Who would have ever immagined, the US would be waiting for some third world country, to shoot an ICBM at us?
I guess, the world will like us more if we let them hit us again!