Hawaii’s missile defense urged as North Korean threat persists

October 18, 2017

Honolulu Star Advertiser:

Although the United States has been stymied in reining in North Korea’s nuclear program, a former U.S. Pacific Command deputy commander said President Donald Trump’s tough words can be matched with real action by enhancing the defense of Hawaii.

“The president cannot allow North Korea to get comfortable with the notion that they have the initiative on all fronts,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Fig” Leaf, who lives in Honolulu. “Improving Hawaii’s defenses complicates the (North Korean) attack calculations and puts Kim Jong Un on notice that the U.S. is not going to sit idly by under their threats, nor will it limit its actions to negotiation or military operations on the Korean Peninsula.”

A new defensive U.S. missile that could do just that is expected to be tested as early as the spring in Hawaii against a simulated North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile, a defense expert said…

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