Ahrcanum

North Korea has just launched a fourth missile. The ballistic missiles were believed to be Scud-B missiles with a range of 340 km or Rodong rockets, whose 1,300-km range was likely to be shortened to 400 km for the upcoming tests.http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a62150.html 

Originally it was reported that North Korea test-fired a third short-range missile on Thursday, a South Korean defense ministry spokesman said.  The spokesman said the missile was launched around 7:50 p.m. (1050 GMT) but gave no further details. Earlier the ministry said the North had fired two surface-to-ship missiles between 5:20 p.m. (0820 GMT) and 6 p.m. from its east coast. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP33752020090702  North Korea had cautioned commercial vessels to stay away from its eastern coast and the Sea of Japan through July 10th, allowing it to launch short- and medium-range missiles with no warning and it continues to do so. 

North Korea threatened that a long range missile launch was set and aimed for Hawaii in time for the 4th of July according to Japan’s top-selling newspaper, the Yomiuri.   But CNN says, “A U.S. intelligence official confirmed the test firings and said there are “no indications whatsoever” of an impending long-range missile test.http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/02/nkorea.missiles/ 

In mid June, Marine Corps General James Cartwright- vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed North Korea would need at least least three to five years to develop a missile that can reach the U.S. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aOrc17s0Mz7g   Then again, no one thought North Korea capable of another nuclear test either.  Is it okay that North Korea already has the capacity to launch a nuclear missile strike against Seoul and Tokyo with the potential to kill millions of people in Japan, as well as in the South, in addition to blowing to smithereens US bases and airfields in both countries?

According to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group ICG, it “argues that the true danger lies with shorter-range weapons, some of which are mobile and therefore difficult to detect. They include variants of the Scud, which could strike South Korea, and the Nodong which could reach much of Japan. Pyongyang also has a short-range tactical weapon called the Toksa or Viper, which is highly accurate up to 120km. The Musudan, which can be transported by road, could reach US bases on the Pacific island of Guam.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6015449.ece

As a reminder to North Korea of America’s long range capability on Monday, The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base that landed 4,200 miles away near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  North Koreans have threatened to “shower the US with a nuclear fire” if “attacked” see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/25/north-korea-nuclear-threat  Would America be negligent to not hit North Korea’s launch pads in a preliminary strike?  ABM or Anti-Ballistic Missile technology has been know to have high failure rate so taking a chance with what might be a nuclear warhead weapon seems pretty stupid.

The National Air and Space Intelligence Center,NASIC- hq’d at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the primary Department of Defense producer of foreign aerospace intelligence http://www.afisr.af.mil/units/nasic.asp but has not issued a statement. The F.E.Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming  http://www.warren.af.mil/units/base  became the nation’s first operational ICBM base with the introduction of the Atlas missile in 1958.  The Mighty Ninety operates 150 Minuteman III ICBMs on full alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if North Korea or anyone else should launch toward U.S. Soil or its territories. 

United Nations Security Council resolution approved on June 12 that imposes penalties on the regime for previous nuclear tests and launches.  North Korea ignoring warnings continues with provocative acts and threats which will only isolate it further.  Furthering tensions in the region, Japan is considering deploying more troops off its southwestern shores to defend a group of disputed islets in the East China Sea http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_DISPUTED_ISLETS_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html

Adding a little salt in the wound, The U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee has cut all 95 million dollars (9.1 billion yen) in energy aid earmarked for North Korea from the U.S. government’s budget for fiscal 2010, sources said Wednesday. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/20090626TDY05309.htm  The French government on the other hand allowed a French company to export rifles and other firearms worth a total to North Korea. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/20090625TDY05308.htm

Considering the cost of an ICBM and America’s past support of energy aid that has most likely funded nuclear technology instead, there needs to be an immediate cease and desist for any funds from all countries to North Korea.  I feel for the starving, but they need stop shooting missiles and testing nukes.   One commentator http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/22-208.aspx estimated the ICBM costs this way, ”

If North Korea has money for nukes, missiles, and weapons certainly it doesn’t need anyone else’s money.  Adm. Timothy Keating, the U.S. commander in the Pacific region, said the military is ready to handle any orders it might receive in response to North Korea’s threatened missile launches and potential illicit shipments. http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090630/NEWS08/906300336/-1/RSS02?source=rss_localnews

In the game of go fish, it was North Korea’s turn.  This is a game of life and death, not cards.

America and Obama’s turn next.

 photo http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6015449.ece

Related post https://ahrcanum.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/missiles-away-strike-north-korea/

Read Full Post »