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.