The Hill:

The rapidly increasing tempo of North Korean missile tests underscores the importance of a viable homeland missile defense.

On Oct. 3, Pyongyang conducted its 39th ballistic missile test of the year — the eighth since just last week. The most recent shot flew right over Japan and traveled so far that it could have reached the U.S. territory of Guam.

The tests came on the heels of North Korea’s announcement of a new law that more clearly articulates Pyongyang’s policy on the offensive use of nuclear weapons, including preemptive nuclear attacks. The law lowers the threshold for a nuclear strike. It holds that, if the regime perceives any attack on its leadership, nuclear command structure or important strategic targets to be imminent, it has the right to use nuclear weapons preemptively.

North Korea is reportedly preparing its seventh test of a nuclear warhead, now predicted to occur as soon as mid-October. Another nuke test would help North Korea advance its nuclear capabilities, including the maturation of a long-range missile capable of carrying multiple warheads. This is especially worrying given North Korea’s continuing drive to develop a nuclear missile that can reliably strike U.S. soil.

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