“How many times must the DPRK violate its UN Security Council resolution obligations before China and Russia stop shielding the DPRK regime?” – Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United Nations Security Council meeting, March 21, 2023.

On Tuesday, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, accused China and Russia of protecting North Korea from punishment for their recent missile tests and encouraging more. 

Since the beginning of this month, North Korea has conducted 7 separate missile tests, with 14 individual missiles launched of varying types. 

Since the beginning of this year, there have been 19 missiles. These have consisted of 2 strategic cruise missiles (CM), 9 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), 2 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), and 1 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea is developing its current missile capabilities to bring greater reliability, accuracy, and technical capabilities to strike the United States and to overmatch the United States’ missile defense limited capacity. North Korea has a broad selection of missiles that are being tested, developed, and deployed.  

Hwasong-17 ICBM: 15,000km range, Liquid fueled
Hwasong:15 ICBM: 13,000 km range, Solid fueled
Hwasong-14 ICBM: 10,400 km range, Liquid fueled
Hwasong-12 MRBM: 4,000 km range, Liquid fueled
Hwasong-8 MRBM: 3,200 km range, Pre-fueled ampoule 
Hwasong-9 SRBM: 1,000 km range, Liquid fueled
Hwasong-6 SRBM: 500 km range, Liquid fueled
Kumsong-3 CM: 250 km range, Liquid fueled
Hwasal-2 CM: 2,000 km range, Liquid fueled

Click here to visit the North Korean Threat page, along with a current chart showing the types and amounts of missiles fired each day by North Korea since August of 2022.

The Missile Defense Agency released on March 13 its Missile Defense development of the service life extension project (SLEP) at Vandenberg Space Force Base to add more reliability to the current 44 GBIs and the development of the Next Generation Interceptors (NGI) to supplement with 20 new silos and eventually replace the 40 GBIs at Fort Greely, Alaska in the 2024 MDA Budget. It is not enough capacity to defeat what North Korea is demonstrating, testing, developing, and deploying.

When asked by Media this past Tuesday on future missile testing of North Korea “How likely is it for North Korea to conduct an ICBM on a normal trajectory? What about launching an ICBM carrying a nuclear payload on a normal trajectory?

“A Launching of a North Korean Nuclear tipped ICBM on normal trajectory would be an act of war and North Korea would receive immediately the consequences of a nation going to war with a nuclear weapon.” – Riki Ellison, Chairman of MDAA, March 21, 2023.