Guardian: the U.S. is considering the possibility of intercepting missiles of the DPRK
MOSCOW, 19 Jul — RIA Novosti. The U.S. military is considering the possibility to shoot down North Korean missiles during testing in order to demonstrate the power of Pyongyang, the newspaper the Guardian, citing two sources.
As writes the edition, against the backdrop of increased tension due to missile tests by North Korea, the Pentagon is looking for ways to put pressure on the country on the issue of denuclearization.
The Minister of defence of the USA James Mattis has already briefed Congress on this issue, however, the military has not yet made decisions about the interception of North Korean missiles.
The newspaper’s sources said that the us military did not consider the use of anti-aircraft missile complex THAAD, which has on its territory places of South Korea. Instead, the U.S. military can use installed on ships early warning system “aegis” (Aegis).
It is also noted that the us military can try to convince Japan to use the available missile defence capabilities. One of the American officials told the newspaper that the military was discussing the ability to shoot down North Korean missiles prior to the meeting between US President Donald trump with the leader of China XI Jinping in Florida.
According to experts and former officials, the interception of North Korea’s missile during the test may lead to an escalation that Washington will not be able to control
They noted that this situation can have potentially devastating consequences for US allies — South Korea and Japan.
“I’d be worried that he (North Korean leader Kim Jong-UN — ed.) will feel the need to respond with appropriate force as he wouldn’t want to appear weak,” said a former Pentagon spokesman Abraham Denmark.