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NUKEWARS
Japan to move Patriot missiles to Okinawa
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) April 12, 2013


White House sees no N. Korea nuclear missile capability
Washington (AFP) April 12, 2013 - The White House said Friday that North Korea has not demonstrated the ability to deploy nuclear missiles, downplaying an intelligence report from the day before.

"North Korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear armed missile," spokesman Jay Carney said, while adding that "there's no question that this is a situation that requires the US to take necessary prudent measures and that is what we've done."

A US lawmaker on Thursday quoted a report from the military's Defense Intelligence Agency saying Pyongyang may have succeeded in the technologically difficult task of making a nuclear weapon small enough to fit on a warhead.

"DIA assesses with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles," Representative Doug Lamborn said, reading from what he said was an unclassified portion of the assessment.

"However, the reliability will be low," he added.

The Pentagon threw cold water on the assessment, with spokesman George Little saying "it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed, or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced" by the lawmaker.

Amid mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula, intelligence officials in Seoul say the North has two mid-range missiles ready for imminent launch from its east coast.

The United States, along with its allies South Korea and Japan, has bolstered missile defenses in the region with naval ships equipped with anti-missile weaponry, a floating radar and interceptors on Guam.

American commanders say their forces would be ready to shoot down a North Korean missile if it threatened South Korea, Japan or US bases in Guam.

Secretary of State John Kerry, currently in Seoul, demanded North Korea scrap the expected missile test and tone down its rhetoric, while the top US diplomat also backed new peace overtures by Seoul and appealed for calm.

Japan said Friday it would deploy Patriot missiles in Okinawa permanently from this month as part of its efforts to boost defence capability amid concerns over North Korea's missile threat.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said his ministry would station Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) systems at two military bases in the southern Japanese island "at the earliest opportunity in April".

The ministry had earlier planned to deploy them by March 2015 but "we were considering advancing the plan that will protect people's lives and property against ballistic missiles," Onodera told a news conference.

The move came as the country remains on full alert ahead of an expected mid-range missile launch by North Korea.

South Korean intelligence says the North has prepared two mid-range missiles for imminent launch from its east coast, despite warnings from ally China to avoid provocative moves at a time of soaring military tensions.

The issue appeared to take on greater urgency on Friday after it was revealed a report compiled by the US military spy agency had suggested Pyongyang has the ability to launch a nuclear-armed ballistic missile.

Japan, where the armed forces have been authorised to shoot down any North Korean missile headed towards its territory, has already stationed PAC-3s in its capital to protect the 30 million people who live there.

In addition to PAC-3 batteries, Aegis destroyers equipped with sea-based interceptor missiles have been deployed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Pyongyang's bellicose rhetoric has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, with near-daily threats of attacks on US military bases including in Japan and South Korea in response to ongoing South Korean-US military exercises.

The timing of the North's missile launch is still "unpredictable", Onodera said, "but we will continue to be on alert so that we can take action at any time".

Analysts said Tokyo's measures were purely precautionary and a mis-targeted missile that might end up falling uncontrollably towards Japanese territory was most likely what Tokyo was readying for.

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Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
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NUKEWARS
White House sees no N. Korea nuclear missile capability
Washington (AFP) April 12, 2013
The White House said Friday that North Korea has not demonstrated the ability to deploy nuclear missiles, downplaying an intelligence report from the day before. "North Korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear armed missile," spokesman Jay Carney said, while adding that "there's no question that this is a situation that requires the US to take necessary prudent measures ... read more


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