US military considers shooting down North Korea missile tests

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/18/us-military-shoot-down-north-korea-missile-tests


Spencer Ackerman in New York and Justin McCurry in Tokyo


The US military is considering shooting down North Korean missile tests as a show of strength to Pyongyang, two sources briefed on the planning told the Guardian.

As tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threaten confrontation in north-east Asia, the Pentagon is looking for ways short of war to pressure North Korea into denuclearization, particularly if Pyongyang goes forward with an anticipated sixth nuclear test.

The option, which defense secretary James Mattis has briefed to Congress, has yet to mature into a decision by the military to intercept a tested missile.

One US official said the prospective shoot-down strategy would be aimed at occurring after a nuclear test, with the objective being to signal Pyongyang that the US can impose military consequences for a transgression Donald Trump has said is unacceptable.

But experts and former officials said shooting down a North Korean missile during a test risks an escalation that Washington may not be able to control, one that risks war on the Korean peninsula and potentially devastating consequences to allies South Korea and Japan.

“I would see such an action as escalatory, but I couldn’t guess how Kim Jong-un would interpret it,” said Abraham Denmark, the senior Pentagon policy official for Asia in Barack Obama’s administration.

“But I would be concerned he would feel the need to react strongly, as he would not want to appear weak.”

Both sources said the military was not looking to use the high-profile missile-defense system the US is providing to South Korea, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad). Thaad’s 200km range and sophisticated radar have unnerved China, whose president, Xi Jinping, has been coaxed by Trump into pressuring North Korea.

Additionally, an operational Thaad installation is unlikely before 9 May, when South Koreans vote for a new president.

Instead, both sources said the military was looking at attempting a missile shoot-down with an Aegis missile-defense system aboard a US navy destroyer; or by convincing Japan to use its own missile-defense capabilities against a ballistic missile test traversing Japanese waters.

The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group, which includes Aegis-equipped destroyers, is headed for the Korean peninsula.

In the past, several US administrations have considered shooting down North Korean missile tests, only to turn away from the option when considering the consequences of escalation against an unpredictable and bellicose adversary. Rumors have circulated since Trump took office that he has been mulling a shoot-down.

A US official said the military was discussing a potential shoot-down ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi on 6 April at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The discussion also preceded Friday’s North Korean military parade, during which Pyongyang displayed advancements in its intercontinental ballistic missile program and anti-ship missiles, as well as a test-launch failure on Saturday.

Senior Pentagon officials pondering the shoot-down option are said to have conceded they are unsure how North Korea would respond. Neither Pentagon nor US Pacific Command representatives responded to a request for comment.

Another factor complicating a shoot-down would be the risk of embarrassment should Aegis interceptors miss a North Korean target, which might embolden Pyongyang and unnerve US regional allies.

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[thackney]

I would like to that happen.  It would be a great demonstration of ability as well as a great "real world" test.

It would be a freaking disaster to attempt and miss.  A yuge freaking disaster to threaten it first, attempt and miss.

[driftdiver]

I would like to that happen.  It would be a great demonstration of ability as well as a great "real world" test.

It would be a freaking disaster to attempt and miss.  A yuge freaking disaster to threaten it first, attempt and miss.

The better approach would be to wait and see if it blows up on the launch pad.  If not and it actually makes it up in the air, then shoot it down.   Only when successful then you release footage of the shootdown.

[SirLinksALot]

The better approach would be to wait and see if it blows up on the launch pad.  If not and it actually makes it up in the air, then shoot it down.   Only when successful then you release footage of the shootdown.

The strange thing I observe is this --- The Norks have successfully launched missiles in the past.

Curiously, the last two tests ( including the one last week ) totally FAILED.

Which makes one want to go --- Hmmmm... What changed?

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

The strange thing I observe is this --- The Norks have successfully launched missiles in the past.

Curiously, the last two tests ( including the one last week ) totally FAILED.

Which makes one want to go --- Hmmmm... What changed?

Go Trump!!!

[driftdiver]

The strange thing I observe is this --- The Norks have successfully launched missiles in the past.

Curiously, the last two tests ( including the one last week ) totally FAILED.

Which makes one want to go --- Hmmmm... What changed?

It's fun to think that our cyber guys are doing something but this is where the backwards state of their nation is an advantage.  They may not even have internet connectivity to be able to hack their rocket softwarr.

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/world/asia/north-korea-missile-program-sabotage.html

TITLE: Trump Inherits a Secret Cyberwar Against North Korean Missiles

EXCERPT:

Three years ago, President Barack Obama ordered Pentagon officials to step up their cyber and electronic strikes against North Korea’s missile program in hopes of sabotaging test launches in their opening seconds.

Soon a large number of the North’s military rockets began to explode, veer off course, disintegrate in midair and plunge into the sea. Advocates of such efforts say they believe that targeted attacks have given American antimissile defenses a new edge and delayed by several years the day when North Korea will be able to threaten American cities with nuclear weapons launched atop intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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[SirLinksALot]