Albuquerque Journal

General: ‘Most’ of N. Korea’s missile program vulnerable

-

The U.S. military is confident it could destroy “most” of the infrastruc­ture underpinni­ng North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s nuclear missile program if necessary in a favorable scenario, a top American general said Tuesday.

Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military could “get at most of his infrastruc­ture,” but he declined to specify the percentage of North Korean missiles that U.S. forces could dismantle in the event of any military action.

His comments indicate that the U.S. possesses enough informatio­n to target not only North Korea’s missiles, but also the support facilities that allow a launch in a potential attack on the U.S.

“Remember, missile infrastruc­ture is not just the missiles,” Selva said at a roundtable with journalist­s in Washington. “If you’re the poor sergeant that has to go out and launch the missile and I blow up your barracks, you’re not available to go do your job.”

North Korea has been advancing rapidly toward the possession of an interconti­nental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could land a nuclear warhead on the continenta­l U.S., posing one of the most critical national security threats the Trump administra­tion faces.

Pyongyang conducted its first ICBM test in July and tested two more by the end of last year. The country also tested in September a nuclear weapon that a top U.S. general later said he assumed was a hydrogen bomb.

Despite the significan­t strides, North Korea has not yet successful­ly tested all the components necessary to show the world it possesses an ICBM capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to a target in the U.S. mainland, Selva said.

Kim’s tests have shown that his missiles can travel far enough to reach the U.S. and maneuver stably in the right direction, according to Selva. But the North Korean leader has yet to demonstrat­e a “terminal guidance system” that allows for the specific targeting of the missile and a “re-entry vehicle” capable of withstandi­ng the stress and shock that comes with carrying a nuclear warhead back through the Earth’s atmosphere to a target, the general said.

Selva did not rule out that North Korea already possesses those technologi­es, but said the country has not demonstrat­ed them.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Monday that the U.S. and its intelligen­ce partners have developed a pretty good understand­ing of North Korea’s nuclear capabiliti­es.

 ??  ?? Air Force Gen. Paul Selva
Air Force Gen. Paul Selva

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States