The Hill:
North Korea’s saber rattling and over-the-top rhetoric is not new, but Kim Jong-un’s fanatical focus on developing nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of ranging the United States and our allies should redouble our efforts to focus on missile defense. To be clear, North Korea cannot be a state with the capability to employ a nuclear weapon in the first place, but we have to prepare for all contingencies.
First, diplomacy is critical as we continue to work with our allies to rebut rhetoric and get Jon-un’s regime to the negotiating table. Second, recent support by China and efforts by the United Nations Security Council to sanction and restrict access to the capital that funds Jong-un’s missile program is promising. China holds the most sway with Jong-un as it is the lifeline to North Korea’s depressed economy. Third, Congress must appropriately fund missile defense. Should diplomacy fail and Jong-un makes an ill-fated attempt to attack the United States or our allies, we must stand ready to provide an effective defense system…
