Inside Sources:
In what has now proved to be a premature declaration, President Trump recently tweeted, “There is no longer a nuclear threat” regarding North Korea. However, satellite imagery has since revealed an expansion of a missile-manufacturing site in North Korea, and the secretary of state recently acknowledged to Congress that Pyongyang is still producing bomb fuel.
With bated breath, the world will continue to watch Secretary Mike Pompeo and Trump negotiate with Kim Jong-un. But in the event that Pyongyang’s nuclear program continues to expand, policymakers should develop a prudent defense policy that will prepare the U.S. homeland for the worst.
One such policy would be upgrading our missile defense systems — particularly ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) systems, which are designed to intercept intercontinental warheads in space after the rocket burns out. But some critics allege GMD is unreliable, and a recent report from the Government Accountability Office criticized the Missile Defense Agency for a “troubling pattern” of awarding large development contracts that do not include final costs or quantities, thereby exposing “the government to increasing amounts of risk.”
