Hawaii News Now:
Following rising threats of a nuclear attack from North Korea, some are calling on lawmakers to beef up Hawaii’s defenses.
Assuming it has the capability, a North Korea missile aimed at Hawaii would have to be stopped by interceptors fired from military bases in Alaska or California.
Missile defense advocate Riki Ellison doesn’t like the odds of placing Hawaii’s safety on a one-shot option.
“You have a very tight window because you don’t have an opportunity to see if you hit it and then fire again, and you’ve got the rest of the United States that’s got to be protected,” he said.
Ellison founded the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance in 2002. He advocates for better missile defense systems to protect the United States.
He said Hawaii needs its own radar and defense capabilities. He believes the Pentagon should equip the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai with Aegis Ashore interceptor missiles, utilizing hardware already in place at the Barking Sands site.
“You can fly in your missiles,” he said. “You already have a launcher that can hold eight. You can fly those in in 24 hours. You can turn this thing on. It’s unbelievable why we’re not doing it.”
