President Barack Obama says the US military is “fully prepared” to deter any possible long-range ballistic missile attack on its soil by North Korea. “This administration — and our military — is fully prepared for any contingencies,” Obama said in an interview with CBS television.
Obama’s remarks came after Japan’s top-selling newspaper the Yomiuri speculated on Thursday that a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 6,500 km (4,000 miles) could fly over Japan and towards Hawaii in early July.
Asked if Washington was warning of a military response, Obama said no.
“It’s just we are prepared for any contingencies,” he said. “I don’t want to speculate on hypotheses. But I do want to give assurances to the American people that the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted in terms of what might happen.”
Pentagon says interceptor missiles are ready to shoot down any North Korean missile aimed at Hawaii.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that he had ordered additional assets deployed to shore up defense of the islands.
Authorities in Washington also say the interceptor missiles are ready in California and Alaska to deter any incoming missiles to reassure allies that the Washington was willing to act to prevent a successful test by the government in Pyongyang.
This is while experts say that the missile would fall short of Hawaii’s main islands which lie about 7,200 kilometers (4,500 miles) from the North Korea.
Sources said it would take at least three years for Pyongyang to pose a real threat to the West Coast of the United States.
Filed under: Middle East
