US Missile Defense System Growing In Anticipation Of North Korean Nuclear Attack

Government officials in the United States have announced plans to build a more expansive missile defense system. The decision was reached in response to North Korea’s attempts to manufacture a stronger nuclear weapons program.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday said the US will deploy 14 new missile interceptors to Alaska. According to Hagel, the new system are meant to “make clear to the world that the United States stands firm against aggression”.

With the new systems in place, the United States will now operate 44 deployed missile defense stations in Alaska and California. The number of base stations will not increase for four years. It should be noted that the stations currently being used have been unreliable in military tests.

The North Korean government has launched an aggressive campaign against the United States, promising to attack the United States with nuclear weapons. It is believed that North Korean officials are simply attempting to save face after they were served new United Nations sanctions last month when they tested an underground nuclear weapon.

Earlier in the week, President Obama said North Korea cannot likely serve out its plans to attack the United States. “They probably can’t, but we don’t like margin of error,” he said.

Chuck Hagel, in the meantime, admits that North Korea’s recent ability to put a satellite into orbit poses a direct threat to countries for which it has been aggressive towards.

According to Hagel:

“The United States has missile defense systems in place to protect us from limited ICBM attacks. But North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and is engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations. Specifically, North Korea announced last month that it conducted its third nuclear test.”

While the new systems are seen largely as a symbolic maneuver by the United States, they also signify that the United States is prepared to defend itself and fight back against an aggressive and unpredictable North Korean regime.

Hopefully, further aggression will not be witnessed. Unfortunately, the only person talking to North Korea these days appears to be former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman. Rodman recently said he believes a peace deal can be brokered with him at the helm. If Rodman is our best chance at a North Korean peace deal, I say we add another 1,000 missile defense stations as soon as humanly possible.

Do you think the United States is making the right decision in building up a stronger missile defense system?