The U.S. is considering shooting down any new North Korean ballistic missile even if the weapon is not launched toward America or one of its allies, according to a report Tuesday.
A Trump administration official said it is up to the Pentagon to decide if North Korea’s continued missile launches and weapons tests warrant action from the United States.
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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his advisers must determine “whether North Korea’s missile program has progressed to the level of being such an inherent threat that the Pentagon would recommend targeting a missile even if its trajectory did not indicate it would hit the U.S. or its allies,” CNN reported.
The potential change in approach comes less than 24 hours after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters the U.S. has not tried to intersect any of Kim Jong Un’s missile launches because they have not been a threat to national security.
“No. 1, those missiles are not directly threatening any of us,” Mattis said Monday evening.
North Korea is “intentionally doing provocations that seem to press against the envelope for just how far can they push without going over some kind of line in their minds that would make them vulnerable, so they aim for the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” Mattis added.
