The White House said Thursday its missile defense system has only “limited operational capability” and rejected a call to destroy a long-range missile that North Korea is preparing for a possible test launch.
“We have a missile defense system,” said National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. “It is a research, development and testing capability that has some limited operational capability.”
The downplaying of America’s missile defense capabilities came one day after the administration seemed eager to portray the system as easily able to shoot down a North Korean missile.
“We have greater technical measures of tracking than in the past and we have options that we have not had in the past, and all these options are on the table,” said Thomas Schieffer, U.S. ambassador to Japan.
For several days, satellite imagery has suggested the North Koreans have been fueling a long-range missile for a possible test flight. Pyongyang is believed to possess several nuclear warheads.
“If North Korea persists in its launch preparations, the United States should immediately make clear its intention to strike and destroy the North Korean Taepodong missile before it can be launched,” wrote William Perry, a former defense secretary to President Clinton, in The Washington Post on Thursday.
Asked to respond to the suggestion, Hadley said: “We think diplomacy is the right answer, and that is what we are pursuing.”
Vice President Dick Cheney also said he preferred diplomacy, in part because military action could escalate quickly.
“I appreciate Bill’s advice,” he said of Perry on CNN. “If you’re going to launch strikes at another nation, you’d better be prepared to not just fire one shot.” Cheney also made clear that Pyongyang should not be overestimated.
“The North Korean missile capabilities are fairly rudimentary,” he said. “I mean, they’ve been building Scuds and so forth over the years, but their test flights in the past haven’t been notably successful. But we are watching it with interest and following it very closely.”
