WASHINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday announced that he has ordered the military to beef up the missile defense system by deploying 14 additional ground- based interceptors.
At a Pentagon press briefing, Hagel said that the newly- deployed interceptors will add to the 30 ground-based interceptors already in place at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California and Fort Greely, Alaska by fiscal year 2017.
Hagel said the move was aimed to counter the threat from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), claiming that Pyongyang has "recently made advances in its (missile) capabilities and is engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations."
The new interceptors would be deployed to Alaska, and could cover the entire United States, according to James Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy. The Pentagon would also deploy a second radar tracking station to Japan, where it already has one tracking radar.
"We will strengthen our homeland defense, maintain our commitment to our allies and partners, and make clear to the world that the United States stands firm against aggression," said Hagel.
Miller said that the total cost will be a little bit less than one billion dollars.
Tensions have been running high on the Korean Peninsula since the DPRK conducted its third nuclear test on Feb. 12 as a countermeasure against the joint military drills of the United States and the Republic of Korea. The DPRK also threatened to launch a preemptive nuclear strike for self-defense, and unilaterally nullified the 1953 armistice that suspended the Korean War.
WASHINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Treasury said on Friday that its pointman on international sanctions will visit Japan, the Republic of Korea and China next week to discuss the implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran over their nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
During his trip on March 18-22, David Cohen, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will focus on "the ongoing cooperation and consultation" to implement the United Nations sanctions aimed to disrupt Pyongyang's efforts to " continue its nuclear proliferation activities and ballistic missile programs," the Treasury said in a statement.Full story
SEOUL, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan on Friday, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing military sources.
According to the report, the DPRK military test-fired two short- range missiles presumed to be KN-02, estimated to have a range of about 120 km.Full story
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