ABCNews:
A U.S. official confirmed today that North Korea has launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile. This is the first successfully test-fired ICBM for North Korea, which has been attempting to build a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in March that “all options are on the table” to deal with the escalating threat North Korea poses.
The Department of Defense has an extensive missile defense system designed to help protect against a missile attack from that country.
The ground-based midcourse defense system is designed to counter a North Korean missile threat, including ICBMs, which a minimum range of 3,400 miles. North Korea has stated openly that it wants to develop an ICBM capable of striking the United States mainland with a nuclear weapon.
In May the U.S. conducted the ground-based intercept system’s first test against an ICBM-class target. The interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and the ICBM target was launched from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The result: The ICBM was intercepted, which was likened to firing a bullet and hitting another bullet.
“This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat,” said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, the director of the Missile Defense Agency at the time.
There are 36 ground-based interceptors at two military bases in the U.S. — 32 at Fort Greely in Alaska and four at Vandenberg…
