Morning Bell: A Missile Defense Wake Up Call
Conn Carroll /
Barring a sudden change in weather, sometime tonight North Korea will likely launch a multistage rocket over Japan, far into the Pacific Ocean. The Kim Jong Il regime is claiming the launch is a test of their civilian satellite program, but it is widely understood that this claim is just a pretext for testing their Taepodong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile. A 2001 National Intelligence Estimate by the U.S. Intelligence Community assessed a two-stage Taepo Dong-2 could target Alaska, Hawaii, and the western United States while a three stage missile could threaten all of North America with a nuclear warhead. And just last week the Washington Post reported that U.S. and independent intelligence experts agree that North Korea has built or is attempting to build nuclear warheads small enough to fit on its ballistic missile arsenal.
Whether a ballistic missile or a “satellite,” the North Korea launch will be in direct violation of United Nations Resolutions 1695 and 1718. The U.S. response to the North Korea launch should be swift and strong: 1) Demand that all U.N. member nations fully implement the existing sanctions of U.N. Resolutions 1695 and 1718 and request a firmer follow-on U.N. Security Council resolution that imposes stronger punitive measures as well as a deadline for compliance; 2) Urge South Korea and China to join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to better defend against North Korean proliferation of missile- and WMD-related technology and components; and 3) Continue U.S. and allied missile defense development and deployment.