North Korea Is Done Fueling; US Activates Shield System

Posted on June 20, 2006

As North Korea reportedly completes fueling of it’s new Taepodong-2 missile, the United States changes the deployment of the new interceptor missile system from testing to operational.

The Taepodong-2 missile is capable of reaching Alaska and carry a nuclear payload. This is a serious threat to allies in the region. Japan is in serious danger of being targeted by the North as most Koreans still harbor resentment towards the Japanese from the days of Japanese occupation of Korea.

The United States has moved its ground-based interceptor missile defense system from test mode to operational amid concerns over an expected North Korean missile launch, a U.S. defense official said on Tuesday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a Washington Times report that the
Pentagon has activated the system, which has been in the developmental stage for years.

“It’s good to be ready,” the official said.

U.S. officials say evidence such as satellite pictures suggests Pyongyang may have finished fueling a Taepodong-2 missile, which some experts said could reach as far as Alaska.

“There’s real caution in how to characterize it so as to not be provocative in our own approach,” the defense official said of the move to activate the system.

The Pentagon and State Department have said a North Korean missile launch would be seen as “provocative.”

While military officials also note the United States has a limited missile defense system, they have so far declined to comment on any details about the capabilities or potential use of the system to intercept a North Korean missile. SOURCE

North Korea is in a struggle with other minor powers such as Iran and Venezuela to grab the attention of the American press. Following the old newspaper saying, “If it bleeds, it leads”, North Korea is banking on piggybacking the Iranian threat to carry them into the forefront should they actually have a delivery vehicle that has a chance of reaching American soil carrying a nuclear warhead.

Kim Jung Il, the leader of North Korea is a few bricks short of a load. Those of us who are familiar with their geopolitical situation on the Korean peninsula feared the death of Kim Il Sung because we knew his son wasn’t quite right in the head.

Kim Jung Il fancies himself something of a modern day Mao or Josef Stalin. He’s something of a primadonna in Coke-bottle glasses. He has nukes and now, a long-range missile fueled and ready to fire. What should we do is the question on everyone’s lips.

To strike or Not to strike – That Mr. Shakespeare is the real question.

Quick Facts:

Peacekeeper Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile – 50 in inventory each carrying (10) 300 MT nuclear warheads capable of striking independent targets. That’s 500 warheads

Minuteman III ICBM – Equipped with the MK-12 carrying 3 warheads each yielding 170 KT. 200 in inventory. That’s 600 warheads.
Equipped with the MK-12A carrying 3 warheads each yielding 335 KT. 300 in inventory. That’s 900 warheads.

Air-launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) are the bulk of the US nuclear arsenal. Capable of being launched from B-52H and the B2. Each missile carries a W80-1 warhead yielding 5-150 KT. There are 1,142 ALCMs in the US inventory.

Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) also carries the W80-1 warhead and there are 640 in inventory. For a total of 1,750 W80-1’s in inventory.

Sea Launched – Trident I carries 8 warheads at 100 MT each. There are 8 SSBNs carrying 192 Trident I’s or 1,536 total warheads in inventory.

Trident II carries 8 W76 warheads at 100 MT each or 1,536 total warheads in inventory. Or 8 W88 at 475 MT each or 384 total warheads in inventory.