Today, one of our nation most respected national newspapers, The Washington Post, offered an editorial opinion supporting the position by former Defense Secretary William Perry and former Assistant Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that the United States should engage in a pre-emptive military strike to destroy missiles positioned on launch pads in North Korea.

On behalf of our organization, the American public, and the citizens of Japan, China, Russian and South Korea, we strongly oppose the Washington Post’s statement, “But if diplomacy continues to fail, it must be an option for the future.” This policy suggestion would escalate a volatile environment into an unstable situation that would cause potential collateral damage to millions of lives and be seen as an act of war with a country that possesses numerous nuclear weapons and has the will to use them.

For the peace and stability of human life in this real-time international crisis with North Korea, missile defense is the solution.

It is with shock and disbelief that one of our nation most prestigious newspapers and former high-ranking Department of Defense officials have chosen to ignore missile defense in their public resolution.

We as a public and a world are fortunate to have the leadership of our Congress and President, who have been enabled to restrain from pre-emptive and retaliatory military action towards North Korea because of the reassurance and stability missile defense provides to our country and that of the region.