Council on Foreign Relations:
North Korea has threatened to test-fire four unarmed intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) that would fly over Japan and land in the waters around Guam, a U.S. territory that hosts multiple military facilities. Pyongyang has never conducted such a test, and it would be among the most provocative actions ever taken by the regime against the United States and Japan.
If North Korea follows through on its threat, the United States and Japan may seek to intercept the missiles with a range of defense systems. There are risks associated with both attempting and not attempting to destroy the missiles.
