Only 3 months into his presidency, President Trump was addressing the serious threat North Korea posed to the United States in an interview with Fox’s Ainsley Earhardt. President Trump told Ainsley his predecessors Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were “outplayed” by North Korea and that he won’t be broadcasting his plans to deal with the isolated and increasingly aggressive country.
When asked if a pre-emptive military strike is a possibility, as reported last week by NBC News, Trump wouldn’t elaborate.
“I don’t want to telegraph what I’m doing or what I’m thinking. I’m not like other administrations, where they say we’re going to do this in four weeks,” Trump told Fox’s Ainsley Earhardt
“It doesn’t work that way. We’ll see what happens. I hope things work out well. I hope there’s going to be peace, but they’ve been talking with this gentleman for a long time,” he continued.
“You read Clinton’s book. and he said, ‘Oh, we made such a great peace deal,’ and it was a joke,” Trump said. “You look at different things over the years with President Obama. Everybody has been outplayed. –The Hill
North Korea doesn’t appear to be backing off as they continue to push forward with the testing of their intercontinental ballistic missiles. They called the launching of their second flight test yesterday, a “stern warning” to the United States. David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the global security program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that if reports of the missile’s maximum altitude and flight time are correct, it would have a theoretical range of at least 10,400 kilometers (about 6,500 miles). That means it could have reached Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago, depending on variables such as the size and weight of the warhead that would be carried atop such a missile in an actual attack.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Saturday the second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated his country can hit the U.S. mainland, hours after the launch left analysts concluding that a wide swath of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean weapons.
The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” after the Hwasong-14 missile reached a maximum height of 3,725 kilometers (2,314 miles) and traveled 998 kilometers (620 miles) before accurately landing in waters off Japan. The agency said that the test was aimed at confirming the maximum range and other technical aspects of the missile it says was capable of delivering a “large-sized, heavy nuclear warhead.”
Analysts had estimated that the North’s first ICBM on July 4 could have reached Alaska, and said that the latest missile appeared to extend that range significantly.
Immediately after the launch, U.S. and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo called for the deployment of strategic U.S. military assets — which usually means stealth bombers and aircraft carriers — as well as additional launchers of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the missile, launched late Friday night, flew for about 45 minutes — about five minutes longer than the first. The missile was launched on very high trajectory, which limited the distance it traveled, and landed west of Japan’s island of Hokkaido.
The KCNA quoted Kim as saying that the launch reaffirmed the reliability of the country’s ICBM system and an ability to fire at “random regions and locations at random times” with the “entire” U.S. mainland now within range. The agency said that the test confirmed important features of the missile system, such as the proper separation of the warhead and controlling its movement and detonation after atmospheric re-entry.
Kim said the launch sent a “serious warning” to the United States, which has been “meaninglessly blowing its trumpet” with threats of war and stronger sanctions, the KCNA said.
David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the global security program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that if reports of the missile’s maximum altitude and flight time are correct, it would have a theoretical range of at least 10,400 kilometers (about 6,500 miles). That means it could have reached Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago, depending on variables such as the size and weight of the warhead that would be carried atop such a missile in an actual attack.
President Donald Trump issued a statement condemning the missile test as a threat to the world, and rejecting North Korea’s claim that nuclear weapons ensure its security. “In reality, they have the opposite effect,” he said.
Trump said the weapons and tests “further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people.” He vowed to “take all necessary steps” to ensure the security of the U.S. and its allies.
ABC News – On July 4th, 2917, A U.S. official confirmed that North Korea launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile. It was the first successfully test-fired ICBM for North Korea, which has been attempting to build a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in March that “all options are on the table” to deal with the escalating threat North Korea poses.
The Department of Defense has an extensive missile defense system designed to help protect against a missile attack from that country.
In May the U.S. conducted the ground-based intercept system’s first test against an ICBM-class target. The interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and the ICBM target was launched from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The result: The ICBM was intercepted, which was likened to firing a bullet and hitting another bullet.
“This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat,” said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, the director of the Missile Defense Agency at the time.
There are 36 ground-based interceptors at two military bases in the U.S. — 32 at Fort Greely in Alaska and four at Vandenberg.
Watch:
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call that the second missile test greatly increased the threat from Pyongyang. He said two sides agreed to consider all means necessary to exert the utmost pressure on North Korea. They reiterated calls for new sanctions and to work closely together with South Korea along with efforts by China and Russia.
China, meanwhile, urged its ally North Korea to abide by U.N. Security Council resolutions and halt any moves that could escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Washington and its allies have watched with growing concern as Pyongyang has made significant progress toward its goal of having all of the U.S. within range of its missiles to counter what it labels as U.S. aggression. There are other hurdles, including building nuclear warheads to fit on those missiles and ensuring reliability. But many analysts have been surprised by how quickly leader Kim Jong Un has developed North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs despite several rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions that have squeezed the impoverished country’s economy.
Trump has said he will not allow North Korea to obtain an ICBM that can deliver a nuclear warhead. But this week, the Defense Intelligence Agency reportedly concluded that the North will have a reliable ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear weapon as early as next year, in an assessment that trimmed two years from the agency’s earlier estimate. –AP
