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U.S. weighs shootdown of N. Korea missile By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press Writer
12 minutes ago
The Bush administration is weighing responses to a possible North Korean missile test that include attempting to shoot it down in flight over the Pacific, defense officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Because North Korea is secretive about its missile operations, U.S. officials say they must consider the possibility that an anticipated test would turn out to be something else, such as a space launch or even an attack. Thus, the Pentagon is considering the possibility of attempting an interception, two defense officials said, even though it would be unprecedented and is not considered the likeliest scenario.
The officials agreed to discuss the matter only on condition of anonymity because of its political sensitivity.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he could not say whether the unproven multibillion-dollar U.S. anti-missile defense system might be used in the event of a North Korean missile launch. That system, which includes a handful of missiles that could be fired from Alaska and California, has had a spotty record in tests.
Although shooting down a North Korean missile is a possibility, the Pentagon also must consider factors that would argue against such a response, including the risk of shooting and missing and of escalating tensions further with the communist nation.
Even if there were no attempt to shoot down a North Korean missile, it would be tracked by early warning satellites and radars, including radars based on ships near Japan and ground-based radars in Alaska and California.
Robert Einhorn, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a U.S. shootdown of a North Korean missile on a test flight or a space launch would draw "very strong international reaction" against the United States. He saw only a small chance that the U.S. would attempt a shootdown.
Signs of North Korean preparations to launch a long-range ballistic missile, possibly with sufficient range to reach U.S. territory, have grown in recent weeks, although it is unclear whether the missile has been fully fueled. U.S. officials said Monday the missile was apparently fully assembled and fueled, but others have since expressed some uncertainty.
Bush administration officials have urged the North Koreans publicly and privately not to conduct the missile test, which would end a moratorium in place since 1999. That ban was adopted after Japan and other nations expressed outrage over an August 1998 launch in which a North Korean missile flew over northern Japan.
At the time of the 1998 launch, the United States had no means of shooting down a long-range missile in flight. Since then, the Pentagon has developed a rudimentary system that it says is capable of defending against a limited number of missiles in an emergency with a North Korean attack particularly in mind.
The Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, says the Pentagon has spent $91 billion on missile defense over the past two decades.
The 1998 event turned out to be a space launch rather than a missile test; U.S. officials said the satellite failed to reach orbit.
U.S. and international concern about North Korea's missile capability is heightened by its claims to have developed nuclear weapons. It is not known whether they have mastered the complex art of building a nuclear warhead small enough to fit a long-range missile, although in April 2005 the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, told Congress that North Korea was capable of arming a missile with a nuclear warhead. U.S. officials have since called it a "theoretical capability."
No administration official has publicly raised the possibility of bombing the North Korean missile before it can be launched. Jan Lodel, a senior Pentagon policy official during the Clinton administration, said in an interview Tuesday that he would not rule out a pre-emptive strike. He said it would be the surest away of eliminating the threat of being surprised by the launch of a Taepodong-2, an intercontinental ballistic missile that some believe has enough range to reach U.S. territory.
David Wright, a senior scientist at the private Union of Concerned Scientists, said he strongly doubts that the Bush administration could back up its claims of having the capability to shoot down a North Korean missile.
"I consider it to be rhetorical posturing," Wright said. "It currently has no demonstrated capability."
The last time the Pentagon registered a successful test in intercepting a mock warhead in flight was in October 2002. Since then, there have been three unsuccessful attempted intercepts, most recently in February 2005.
Rick Lehner, chief spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said the next intercept test is scheduled for the August-September period, to be followed by another before the end of the year. Lehner said that beginning about a year ago, the system has periodically been placed in "operational status."
Baker Spring, a Heritage Foundation analyst and strong advocate of U.S. missile defenses, said he believes that "in theoretical terms" the U.S. system is a capable of defeating a North Korean missile. And he thinks that if the North Koreans launched on a flight pattern that appeared threatening to the United States, the administration "would be well within its rights" under international law to shoot down the missile.
The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the Pentagon has placed its missile defense system in an active status for potential use.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take a strict position against any future North Korea provocations, including nuclear tests and test launches of ballistic missiles, during the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Saturday, during which Xi also said the U.S.-China relationship is at a "hinge moment," while not mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, according to Japan's Jiji Press. Obama and Xi have had longstanding differences with regards to issues such as China's controversial claims to territory in the South China Sea.
But on North Korea the two leaders once again agreed they should work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to the report. International sanctions against Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016 were adopted in March with cooperation from Beijing, but a new resolution that could punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in September has yet to be adopted. During the APEC talks, and what is his ninth and last meeting with Xi, Obama requested China to more strictly implement current sanctions, and cooperate on new embargoes, according to Jiji.
The two sides also emphasized the progress that was made during Obama's term in office, including cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal and an agreement to tackle climate change. While referring to the end of Obama's term in office, Xi said bilateral relations appear to be at a "hinge moment," and that China seeks to cooperate with the United States in order to implement ties smoothly. The meeting comes at a time when South Korean officials continue to hold discussions with experts close to Trump or his transition team.
On Sunday, South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong returned to Seoul, and told reporters that after meeting with U.S. advisors he expects a tougher North Korea policy under a Trump administration, according to Yonhap. Cho and the South Korean delegation met with former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, Edwin J. Feulner, chairman of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
In its recently issued annual report to Congress, the commission said more cooperation is to be expected, including increased deployment of North Korean workers to China. According to the research, trade with China accounted for 91 percent of all foreign trade for North Korea in 2015. North Korea-China trade has been experiencing some decline due to a downturn in commodity prices but it has not affected overall trade flows, Voice of America reported Monday. The commission also addressed the issue of North Korean workers in China.
As a labor force the North Koreans have emerged as an importance source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime. Quoting data provided by North Korean defectors the report states that, "Pyongyang has steadily increased the number of workers it sends to China in recent years." "There are arrangements in Dandong and in Tumen...to allow North Korean laborers to cross the border for work," the report says.
One estimate places the number of North Korean workers in China between 70,000-80,000. About 34,000 of that number are employed in industries located in the two Chinese border cities and about two-thirds of all income earned is remitted to the state. North Korea is projected to send more workers to China. Beijing also supports Pyongyang through projects involving solar panels and hydropower. Thanks to Chinese energy assistance, North Korea's power situation has improved dramatically, according to the report.
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Trump will have the doomsday rockets flying soon enough I thinkNo wonder lil' Kim doesn't take Obama seriously...
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
Nov. 20, 2016 | China's Xi Jinping said the meeting comes at a "hinge moment" in U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take a strict position against any future North Korea provocations, including nuclear tests and test launches of ballistic missiles, during the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Saturday, during which Xi also said the U.S.-China relationship is at a "hinge moment," while not mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, according to Japan's Jiji Press. Obama and Xi have had longstanding differences with regards to issues such as China's controversial claims to territory in the South China Sea.
But on North Korea the two leaders once again agreed they should work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to the report. International sanctions against Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016 were adopted in March with cooperation from Beijing, but a new resolution that could punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in September has yet to be adopted. During the APEC talks, and what is his ninth and last meeting with Xi, Obama requested China to more strictly implement current sanctions, and cooperate on new embargoes, according to Jiji.
The two sides also emphasized the progress that was made during Obama's term in office, including cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal and an agreement to tackle climate change. While referring to the end of Obama's term in office, Xi said bilateral relations appear to be at a "hinge moment," and that China seeks to cooperate with the United States in order to implement ties smoothly. The meeting comes at a time when South Korean officials continue to hold discussions with experts close to Trump or his transition team.
On Sunday, South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong returned to Seoul, and told reporters that after meeting with U.S. advisors he expects a tougher North Korea policy under a Trump administration, according to Yonhap. Cho and the South Korean delegation met with former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, Edwin J. Feulner, chairman of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
See also:
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Nov. 21, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says it is unlikely close economic ties between China and North Korea will diminish in the near future.
In its recently issued annual report to Congress, the commission said more cooperation is to be expected, including increased deployment of North Korean workers to China. According to the research, trade with China accounted for 91 percent of all foreign trade for North Korea in 2015. North Korea-China trade has been experiencing some decline due to a downturn in commodity prices but it has not affected overall trade flows, Voice of America reported Monday. The commission also addressed the issue of North Korean workers in China.
As a labor force the North Koreans have emerged as an importance source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime. Quoting data provided by North Korean defectors the report states that, "Pyongyang has steadily increased the number of workers it sends to China in recent years." "There are arrangements in Dandong and in Tumen...to allow North Korean laborers to cross the border for work," the report says.
One estimate places the number of North Korean workers in China between 70,000-80,000. About 34,000 of that number are employed in industries located in the two Chinese border cities and about two-thirds of all income earned is remitted to the state. North Korea is projected to send more workers to China. Beijing also supports Pyongyang through projects involving solar panels and hydropower. Thanks to Chinese energy assistance, North Korea's power situation has improved dramatically, according to the report.
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
“It’s the threat that keeps me awake at night,” the senior official said. North Korea has acquired and developed an ICBM and perfected the miniaturization of the warhead to fit atop the missile, the official said, but “they’re not sure of the re-entry capability” as the missile transitions from space to the atmosphere. In recognition of the growing North Korea threat, the Defense Department has transferred some authority for countering weapons of mass destruction from U.S. Strategic Command to the Joint Special Operations Command, according to the high-ranking official who spoke on grounds of anonymity.
Earlier this year, the Defense Department confirmed that North Korea had developed a new mobile ICBM capable of hitting the U.S. called the KN-14. The new missile was on display in a military parade last year in October in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. North Korea also has the long-range Taepodong-2 missile, a two or three-stage missile that has successfully delivered satellites into space. In 2011, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that “North Korea will have developed” an ICBM by 2016, but said the missile would have limited capabilities. Since then, North Korea has aggressively pursued development of a miniaturized warhead, according to the Arms Control Association.
A man watches a TV news program showing a file image of a missile launch conducted by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea now has the capability to launch a nuclear weapon, a senior U.S. military official said Dec. 8, adding that while the U.S. believes Pyongyang can mount a warhead on a missile, it's not clear that it can hit a target.
In January, North Korea conducted its fourth underground nuclear test and leader Kim Jong-un boasted that it was a hydrogen bomb, though U.S. analysts dismissed the claim. Two months later, North Korea unveiled a mock-up of a miniaturized nuclear bomb and performed two separate missile-related ground tests, the Arms Control Association said. Last year, Army Gen. Curtis M. “Mike” Scaparrotti testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his concerns about North Korea’s progress on fitting a warhead to an ICBM. “I believe they’ve had the time and the capability to miniaturize” a warhead, said Scaparrotti, then the commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and now the supreme allied commander of NATO.
Last week, a former U.S. commander in South Korea said the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will have to consider a pre-emptive strike on North Korea before it can launch a long-range missile. “I don’t think any talking, any diplomacy, is going to convince Kim Jong-un to change,” retired Army Gen. Walter Sharp said of the North Korean leader in suggesting the possibility of a pre-emptive strike to eliminate the nuclear threat. Should North Korea put a missile such as the three-stage Taepodong 2 on the launchpad, and the U.S. was unsure whether it carried a satellite or a nuclear warhead, the missile should be destroyed, said Sharp, the former commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and the United Nations Command from 2008 to 2011.
Nuke, ICBM, North Korea, Re-entry, US | DefenseTech
No. Korea almost has nuclear ICBM...
North Korea Close to Having Nuclear-Armed ICBM: Official
December 9, 2016 - North Korea now has an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, armed with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, but they have yet to solve the “re-entry problem” that would burn up the warhead as it hits the atmosphere, a senior military official said Thursday.
“It’s the threat that keeps me awake at night,” the senior official said. North Korea has acquired and developed an ICBM and perfected the miniaturization of the warhead to fit atop the missile, the official said, but “they’re not sure of the re-entry capability” as the missile transitions from space to the atmosphere. In recognition of the growing North Korea threat, the Defense Department has transferred some authority for countering weapons of mass destruction from U.S. Strategic Command to the Joint Special Operations Command, according to the high-ranking official who spoke on grounds of anonymity.
Earlier this year, the Defense Department confirmed that North Korea had developed a new mobile ICBM capable of hitting the U.S. called the KN-14. The new missile was on display in a military parade last year in October in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. North Korea also has the long-range Taepodong-2 missile, a two or three-stage missile that has successfully delivered satellites into space. In 2011, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that “North Korea will have developed” an ICBM by 2016, but said the missile would have limited capabilities. Since then, North Korea has aggressively pursued development of a miniaturized warhead, according to the Arms Control Association.
A man watches a TV news program showing a file image of a missile launch conducted by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea now has the capability to launch a nuclear weapon, a senior U.S. military official said Dec. 8, adding that while the U.S. believes Pyongyang can mount a warhead on a missile, it's not clear that it can hit a target.
In January, North Korea conducted its fourth underground nuclear test and leader Kim Jong-un boasted that it was a hydrogen bomb, though U.S. analysts dismissed the claim. Two months later, North Korea unveiled a mock-up of a miniaturized nuclear bomb and performed two separate missile-related ground tests, the Arms Control Association said. Last year, Army Gen. Curtis M. “Mike” Scaparrotti testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his concerns about North Korea’s progress on fitting a warhead to an ICBM. “I believe they’ve had the time and the capability to miniaturize” a warhead, said Scaparrotti, then the commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and now the supreme allied commander of NATO.
Last week, a former U.S. commander in South Korea said the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will have to consider a pre-emptive strike on North Korea before it can launch a long-range missile. “I don’t think any talking, any diplomacy, is going to convince Kim Jong-un to change,” retired Army Gen. Walter Sharp said of the North Korean leader in suggesting the possibility of a pre-emptive strike to eliminate the nuclear threat. Should North Korea put a missile such as the three-stage Taepodong 2 on the launchpad, and the U.S. was unsure whether it carried a satellite or a nuclear warhead, the missile should be destroyed, said Sharp, the former commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and the United Nations Command from 2008 to 2011.
Nuke, ICBM, North Korea, Re-entry, US | DefenseTech
In a hermit kingdom such as No. Korea...
... easier said than done.
In a hermit kingdom such as No. Korea...
... easier said than done.
Nah, I think that's just it. Kim Jong Un is too confident for his own good. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, if the U.S. wanted to, they could get a man inside that could take him out with one shot. Now, it may be a suicide mission, but I know they could do it.
Although North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in the last decade and more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016 alone, and although it habitually threatens to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, the country has never flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. In his annual New Year’s Day speech, which was broadcast on the North’s state-run KCTV on Sunday, Mr. Kim spoke proudly of the strides he said his country had made in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. He said North Korea would continue to bolster its weapons programs as long as the United States remained hostile and continued its joint military exercises with South Korea. “We have reached the final stage in preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic rocket,” he said.
Analysts in the region have said Mr. Kim might conduct another weapons test in coming months, taking advantage of leadership changes in the United States and South Korea. Mr. Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20. In South Korea, President Park Geun-hye, whose powers were suspended in a Parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9, is waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on whether she should be formally removed from office or reinstated. If North Korea conducts a long-range-missile test in coming months, it will test Mr. Trump’s new administration; despite years of increasingly harsh sanctions, North Korea has been advancing toward Mr. Kim’s professed goal of arming his isolated country with the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the United States.
Mr. Kim’s speech on Sunday indicated that North Korea may test-launch a long-range rocket several times this year to complete its ICBM program, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute in South Korea. The first of such tests could come even before Mr. Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Cheong said. “We need to take note of the fact that this is the first New Year’s speech where Kim Jong-un mentioned an intercontinental ballistic missile,” he said. In his speech, Mr. Kim did not comment on Mr. Trump’s election.
Doubt still runs deep that North Korea has mastered all the technology needed to build a reliable ICBM. But analysts in the region said the North’s launchings of three-stage rockets to put satellites into orbit in recent years showed that the country had cleared some key technological hurdles. After the North’s satellite launch in February, South Korean defense officials said the Unha rocket used in the launch, if successfully reconfigured as a missile, could fly more than 7,400 miles with a warhead of 1,100 to 1,300 pounds — far enough to reach most of the United States. North Korea has deployed Rodong ballistic missiles that can reach most of South Korea and Japan, but it has had a spotty record in test-launching the Musudan, its intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range long enough to reach American military bases in the Pacific, including those on Guam.
MORE
It was over 8 years ago.I think they should try and shoot it down. It would definitely send a message to the North Koreans, that 1 - It works, 2 - You've thrown all this time, money and energy away, and 3 - That we aren't just going to let them walk all over us anymore.
Blow the bastard out of the sky.
The N.Koreans don't take anyone seriously.No wonder lil' Kim doesn't take Obama seriously...
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
Nov. 20, 2016 | China's Xi Jinping said the meeting comes at a "hinge moment" in U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take a strict position against any future North Korea provocations, including nuclear tests and test launches of ballistic missiles, during the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Saturday, during which Xi also said the U.S.-China relationship is at a "hinge moment," while not mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, according to Japan's Jiji Press. Obama and Xi have had longstanding differences with regards to issues such as China's controversial claims to territory in the South China Sea.
But on North Korea the two leaders once again agreed they should work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to the report. International sanctions against Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016 were adopted in March with cooperation from Beijing, but a new resolution that could punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in September has yet to be adopted. During the APEC talks, and what is his ninth and last meeting with Xi, Obama requested China to more strictly implement current sanctions, and cooperate on new embargoes, according to Jiji.
The two sides also emphasized the progress that was made during Obama's term in office, including cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal and an agreement to tackle climate change. While referring to the end of Obama's term in office, Xi said bilateral relations appear to be at a "hinge moment," and that China seeks to cooperate with the United States in order to implement ties smoothly. The meeting comes at a time when South Korean officials continue to hold discussions with experts close to Trump or his transition team.
On Sunday, South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong returned to Seoul, and told reporters that after meeting with U.S. advisors he expects a tougher North Korea policy under a Trump administration, according to Yonhap. Cho and the South Korean delegation met with former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, Edwin J. Feulner, chairman of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
See also:
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Nov. 21, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says it is unlikely close economic ties between China and North Korea will diminish in the near future.
In its recently issued annual report to Congress, the commission said more cooperation is to be expected, including increased deployment of North Korean workers to China. According to the research, trade with China accounted for 91 percent of all foreign trade for North Korea in 2015. North Korea-China trade has been experiencing some decline due to a downturn in commodity prices but it has not affected overall trade flows, Voice of America reported Monday. The commission also addressed the issue of North Korean workers in China.
As a labor force the North Koreans have emerged as an importance source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime. Quoting data provided by North Korean defectors the report states that, "Pyongyang has steadily increased the number of workers it sends to China in recent years." "There are arrangements in Dandong and in Tumen...to allow North Korean laborers to cross the border for work," the report says.
One estimate places the number of North Korean workers in China between 70,000-80,000. About 34,000 of that number are employed in industries located in the two Chinese border cities and about two-thirds of all income earned is remitted to the state. North Korea is projected to send more workers to China. Beijing also supports Pyongyang through projects involving solar panels and hydropower. Thanks to Chinese energy assistance, North Korea's power situation has improved dramatically, according to the report.
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Trump is not stupid.Trump will have the doomsday rockets flying soon enough I thinkNo wonder lil' Kim doesn't take Obama seriously...
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
Nov. 20, 2016 | China's Xi Jinping said the meeting comes at a "hinge moment" in U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take a strict position against any future North Korea provocations, including nuclear tests and test launches of ballistic missiles, during the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Saturday, during which Xi also said the U.S.-China relationship is at a "hinge moment," while not mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, according to Japan's Jiji Press. Obama and Xi have had longstanding differences with regards to issues such as China's controversial claims to territory in the South China Sea.
But on North Korea the two leaders once again agreed they should work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to the report. International sanctions against Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016 were adopted in March with cooperation from Beijing, but a new resolution that could punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in September has yet to be adopted. During the APEC talks, and what is his ninth and last meeting with Xi, Obama requested China to more strictly implement current sanctions, and cooperate on new embargoes, according to Jiji.
The two sides also emphasized the progress that was made during Obama's term in office, including cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal and an agreement to tackle climate change. While referring to the end of Obama's term in office, Xi said bilateral relations appear to be at a "hinge moment," and that China seeks to cooperate with the United States in order to implement ties smoothly. The meeting comes at a time when South Korean officials continue to hold discussions with experts close to Trump or his transition team.
On Sunday, South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong returned to Seoul, and told reporters that after meeting with U.S. advisors he expects a tougher North Korea policy under a Trump administration, according to Yonhap. Cho and the South Korean delegation met with former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, Edwin J. Feulner, chairman of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
See also:
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Nov. 21, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says it is unlikely close economic ties between China and North Korea will diminish in the near future.
In its recently issued annual report to Congress, the commission said more cooperation is to be expected, including increased deployment of North Korean workers to China. According to the research, trade with China accounted for 91 percent of all foreign trade for North Korea in 2015. North Korea-China trade has been experiencing some decline due to a downturn in commodity prices but it has not affected overall trade flows, Voice of America reported Monday. The commission also addressed the issue of North Korean workers in China.
As a labor force the North Koreans have emerged as an importance source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime. Quoting data provided by North Korean defectors the report states that, "Pyongyang has steadily increased the number of workers it sends to China in recent years." "There are arrangements in Dandong and in Tumen...to allow North Korean laborers to cross the border for work," the report says.
One estimate places the number of North Korean workers in China between 70,000-80,000. About 34,000 of that number are employed in industries located in the two Chinese border cities and about two-thirds of all income earned is remitted to the state. North Korea is projected to send more workers to China. Beijing also supports Pyongyang through projects involving solar panels and hydropower. Thanks to Chinese energy assistance, North Korea's power situation has improved dramatically, according to the report.
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
...Trump will have the doomsday rockets flying soon enough I thinkNo wonder lil' Kim doesn't take Obama seriously...
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
Nov. 20, 2016 | China's Xi Jinping said the meeting comes at a "hinge moment" in U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take a strict position against any future North Korea provocations, including nuclear tests and test launches of ballistic missiles, during the annual gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Saturday, during which Xi also said the U.S.-China relationship is at a "hinge moment," while not mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, according to Japan's Jiji Press. Obama and Xi have had longstanding differences with regards to issues such as China's controversial claims to territory in the South China Sea.
But on North Korea the two leaders once again agreed they should work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to the report. International sanctions against Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test in January 2016 were adopted in March with cooperation from Beijing, but a new resolution that could punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test in September has yet to be adopted. During the APEC talks, and what is his ninth and last meeting with Xi, Obama requested China to more strictly implement current sanctions, and cooperate on new embargoes, according to Jiji.
The two sides also emphasized the progress that was made during Obama's term in office, including cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal and an agreement to tackle climate change. While referring to the end of Obama's term in office, Xi said bilateral relations appear to be at a "hinge moment," and that China seeks to cooperate with the United States in order to implement ties smoothly. The meeting comes at a time when South Korean officials continue to hold discussions with experts close to Trump or his transition team.
On Sunday, South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong returned to Seoul, and told reporters that after meeting with U.S. advisors he expects a tougher North Korea policy under a Trump administration, according to Yonhap. Cho and the South Korean delegation met with former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, Edwin J. Feulner, chairman of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, and Michael Flynn, Trump's pick for national security advisor.
Obama requests China to cooperate on new North Korea sanctions
See also:
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Nov. 21, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says it is unlikely close economic ties between China and North Korea will diminish in the near future.
In its recently issued annual report to Congress, the commission said more cooperation is to be expected, including increased deployment of North Korean workers to China. According to the research, trade with China accounted for 91 percent of all foreign trade for North Korea in 2015. North Korea-China trade has been experiencing some decline due to a downturn in commodity prices but it has not affected overall trade flows, Voice of America reported Monday. The commission also addressed the issue of North Korean workers in China.
As a labor force the North Koreans have emerged as an importance source of hard currency for the Kim Jong Un regime. Quoting data provided by North Korean defectors the report states that, "Pyongyang has steadily increased the number of workers it sends to China in recent years." "There are arrangements in Dandong and in Tumen...to allow North Korean laborers to cross the border for work," the report says.
One estimate places the number of North Korean workers in China between 70,000-80,000. About 34,000 of that number are employed in industries located in the two Chinese border cities and about two-thirds of all income earned is remitted to the state. North Korea is projected to send more workers to China. Beijing also supports Pyongyang through projects involving solar panels and hydropower. Thanks to Chinese energy assistance, North Korea's power situation has improved dramatically, according to the report.
U.S. commission expects increased economic ties between China, North Korea
Everything N.Korea does is with the blessing if not at the urging of China.
....
Trump is not stupid.
He knows N.Korea is just a puppet alter-ego of China.
Everything N.Korea does is with the blessing if not at the urging of China.
Shooting at missiles in flight is dangerous and expensive.
Makes more sense to take out the missile silos on the ground.
But this would be like attacking China.
Best thing is to completely ignore the N.Koreans.
This would be the worst thing to do because North Korea and China will be very very upset for this.No. Korea almost has nuclear ICBM...
North Korea Close to Having Nuclear-Armed ICBM: Official
December 9, 2016 - North Korea now has an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, armed with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, but they have yet to solve the “re-entry problem” that would burn up the warhead as it hits the atmosphere, a senior military official said Thursday.
“It’s the threat that keeps me awake at night,” the senior official said. North Korea has acquired and developed an ICBM and perfected the miniaturization of the warhead to fit atop the missile, the official said, but “they’re not sure of the re-entry capability” as the missile transitions from space to the atmosphere. In recognition of the growing North Korea threat, the Defense Department has transferred some authority for countering weapons of mass destruction from U.S. Strategic Command to the Joint Special Operations Command, according to the high-ranking official who spoke on grounds of anonymity.
Earlier this year, the Defense Department confirmed that North Korea had developed a new mobile ICBM capable of hitting the U.S. called the KN-14. The new missile was on display in a military parade last year in October in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. North Korea also has the long-range Taepodong-2 missile, a two or three-stage missile that has successfully delivered satellites into space. In 2011, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that “North Korea will have developed” an ICBM by 2016, but said the missile would have limited capabilities. Since then, North Korea has aggressively pursued development of a miniaturized warhead, according to the Arms Control Association.
A man watches a TV news program showing a file image of a missile launch conducted by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea now has the capability to launch a nuclear weapon, a senior U.S. military official said Dec. 8, adding that while the U.S. believes Pyongyang can mount a warhead on a missile, it's not clear that it can hit a target.
In January, North Korea conducted its fourth underground nuclear test and leader Kim Jong-un boasted that it was a hydrogen bomb, though U.S. analysts dismissed the claim. Two months later, North Korea unveiled a mock-up of a miniaturized nuclear bomb and performed two separate missile-related ground tests, the Arms Control Association said. Last year, Army Gen. Curtis M. “Mike” Scaparrotti testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his concerns about North Korea’s progress on fitting a warhead to an ICBM. “I believe they’ve had the time and the capability to miniaturize” a warhead, said Scaparrotti, then the commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and now the supreme allied commander of NATO.
Last week, a former U.S. commander in South Korea said the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will have to consider a pre-emptive strike on North Korea before it can launch a long-range missile. “I don’t think any talking, any diplomacy, is going to convince Kim Jong-un to change,” retired Army Gen. Walter Sharp said of the North Korean leader in suggesting the possibility of a pre-emptive strike to eliminate the nuclear threat. Should North Korea put a missile such as the three-stage Taepodong 2 on the launchpad, and the U.S. was unsure whether it carried a satellite or a nuclear warhead, the missile should be destroyed, said Sharp, the former commander of U.S. Forces-Korea and the United Nations Command from 2008 to 2011.
Nuke, ICBM, North Korea, Re-entry, US | DefenseTech
Pretty simple really. Send in someone undercover, let them take out the stupid little fat boy from about a mile away with a .50 cal that blows him into little pieces.
