A combined diplomatic and technical response is proposed to counter effectively North Koreas demonstrated FOBS capability, which poses an existential EMP threat to the American people. We should insist on inspecting their satellite payloads for launches over the South Polar regions, and if they refuse be prepared to shoot down their satellites before they overfly U.S. territory. We should deploy a layered set of sea- and land-based defenses to do so, beginning almost immediately-and for relatively little expense since existing mostly already funded defense capabilities would be involved. Throughout the Cold War, our homeland ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems were focused on defeating attacks by intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that threatened the U.S. from the north-and the current homeland BMD systems got their impetus from North Korean ballistic missiles tests, particularly their tests in the late 1990s on trajectories that also would approach the U.S. from the north. Our current ground-based BMD systems in Alaska and California provide a limited defense against such North Koreas Taepodong-2 ICBM attacks. North Koreas late 1990s ballistic missile tests were directed northward over Japan, creating sufficient concern for Japan to join forces with the U.S. Navy in developing the Aegis BMD system-and Japan currently operates four Aegis BMD ships as an integral part of its Self Defense Force (SDF).
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 18:28:40 +0000
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