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U.S. deploys high-tech radar amid heightened North Korea rhetoric - official

REUTERS

 

The Sea-based, X-band Radar (SBX 1), a combination of the world's largest phased-array X-band radar carried aboard a mobile, ocean-going semi-submersible oil platform, transits the waters of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, U.S. on March 22, 2013. Courtesy Daniel Barker/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A high-tech sea-based U.S. military radar has left Hawaii to monitor for potential North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test launches, a U.S. defence official said on Wednesday.

 

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that the isolated, nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

 

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the radar, known as the Sea-based X-band radar (SBX), left on Monday and would reach its destination, about 2,000 miles (3,218 km) northwest of Hawaii, towards the end of January.

 

The radar is able to track ICBMs and differentiate between hostile missiles and those that are not a threat.

 

On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the U.S. military might monitor a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test and gather intelligence rather than destroy it, as long as the launch did not pose a threat.

 

"If the missile is threatening, it will be intercepted. If it's not threatening, we won't necessarily do so," Carter said,

"Because it may be more to our advantage to, first of all, save our interceptor inventory, and, second, to gather intelligence from the flight, rather than do that (intercept the ICBM) when it's not threatening."

 

Carter's remarks came just over a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump vowed that North Korea would never fulfil its threat to test an ICBM. Trump said in a Jan. 2 tweet: "It won't happen!"

 

"The SBX’s current deployment is not based on any credible threat; however, we cannot discuss specifics for this particular mission while it is underway," Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said.

 

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-12

 

 

[IAMHERE]

If America landed two or three atomic bombs on North Korea, would China or Russia respond with nucs on the USA mainland? I doubt that they would.

[CharlieK]

4 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

If America landed two or three atomic bombs on North Korea, would China or Russia respond with nucs on the USA mainland? I doubt that they would.

you really want to find out if they would?

[Grubster]

2 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

If America landed two or three atomic bombs on North Korea, would China or Russia respond with nucs on the USA mainland? I doubt that they would.

No but South Korea wouldn't be very happy with the fallout, Also you would just be killing millions of innocent North Koreans to get one Tyrant.

[smudger1951]

We just like to assume US has deterrant defence capability but N Korea is on a mission to build its arsenal of missiles. Sooner or later for some misguided reason Kim could do something stupid. 

[craigt3365]

9 hours ago, smudger1951 said:

We just like to assume US has deterrant defence capability but N Korea is on a mission to build its arsenal of missiles. Sooner or later for some misguided reason Kim could do something stupid. 

That's what I've been reading that scares the US.  Kim is unpredictable.  They just don't know what he'll do.  Scary.

 

He did murder his uncle with an anti-aircraft gun in front of an audience! 

[Grubster]

28 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

That's what I've been reading that scares the US.  Kim is unpredictable.  They just don't know what he'll do.  Scary.

 

He did murder his uncle with an anti-aircraft gun in front of an audience! 

Very much like Saddam Husain he is zero threat to the mainland of the US,  But if the US war machine needs a war like they did with Saddam we will be saying that North Korea or Iran has the 4th strongest military in the world, just like we said about Iraq. Then we will have non existent intelligence that they are an imminent threat and we must strike now. War is the biggest industry in the world, and must be fed.

[hawker9000]

13 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

If America landed two or three atomic bombs on North Korea, would China or Russia respond with nucs on the USA mainland? I doubt that they would.

 

Maybe not.  But I'd say places like Guam and Hawaii ARE likely to be in their crosshairs under such circumstances.   Thing is, "landing 2 or 3 nukes on North Korea" is just not gonna' happen unless IRT a N. Korean first strike, most likely against either S. Korea, or maybe Japan.  It'd be touchy for sure, but I really don't think China would launch a nuclear response of its own against the US under such circumstances, and Russia much less likely to do so.  Conventional "demonstrations of resolve" or "solidarity", say at sea somewhere, much more likely.  

 

China has every reason to put a leash on KJU and keep it there to prevent a N. Korean failed state, let alone him touching off a nuclear exchange.  He's a loose cannon and China is as well aware of it as the US is.   As long as he confines his departures from sanity to wild rhetoric and threatening gestures, I think China assumes the West will continue to indulge him.

Edited January 13, 2017 by hawker9000

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

Very much like Saddam Husain he is zero threat to the mainland of the US,  But if the US war machine needs a war like they did with Saddam we will be saying that North Korea or Iran has the 4th strongest military in the world, just like we said about Iraq. Then we will have non existent intelligence that they are an imminent threat and we must strike now. War is the biggest industry in the world, and must be fed.

Saddam Husain first invaded Kuwait.  Hardly a zero threat.  But yes, Iraq war #2 was a disaster.

 

War is the biggest industry because we have many despot leaders.  If NK fires a missile and hits Japan, a war would be warranted.  Easy to stop the aggression.  Have NK stop their nuclear weapons program.  Easy.

[Grubster]

8 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Saddam Husain first invaded Kuwait.  Hardly a zero threat.  But yes, Iraq war #2 was a disaster.

 

War is the biggest industry because we have many despot leaders.  If NK fires a missile and hits Japan, a war would be warranted.  Easy to stop the aggression.  Have NK stop their nuclear weapons program.  Easy.

OK why don't you just go tell him to " stop it " then.  He is no threat to the US and neither was Saddam.  Our great friend Saudi Arabia on the other hand is the biggest funder of terrorism in the world. Iran is very civilized compared to Saudi.