North Korean Missiles

The Scotsman reports today on the threat of a North Korean missile capable of reaching the United States.

"A report carried out for the publication Jane’s Defence Weekly said the two new systems appeared to be based on a decommissioned Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile."

"Ian Kemp of Jane’s Defence Weekly, said North Korea would only spend the money and effort on developing such missiles if it intended to fit them with nuclear warheads."

The major threat comes from the sea-based launch system which, if mounted on submarine, would be able to launch from anywhere in the ocean and thus in theory be able to hit the United States. Of course the United States navy has been geared since the beginning of the cold war towards hunting down ballistic missile submarines and thus preventing this very thing, and the technological gap between N. Korea armed only with an old Soviet sub and the United States navy is considerable. However I do think it makes clear that North Korea's ultimate goal is to be able to threaten the United States with nuclear weapons, and makes the matter of addressing North Korea's nukes all that more urgent.