North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test Tuesday strongly suggests that Kim Jong Un’s regime can now hit Washington, D.C.
What’s most alarming about the new test is that the missile’s trajectory took it to a far higher altitude than any previous tests.
As ballistic missile expert, David Wright, notes, “If flown on a standard trajectory rather than this lofted trajectory, this missile would have a range of more than 13,000 km (8,100 miles). This is significantly longer than North Korea’s previous long-range tests, which flew on lofted trajectories for 37 minutes (July 4) and 47 minutes (July 28). Such a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington, DC, and in fact any part of the continental United States.”
According to my map-measuring calculations, this missile could hit Washington with more than 1,000 miles of range to spare.
In short, this is an unprecedented escalation by Kim’s regime. One outstanding question remains: When will North Korea be able to put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile?
It probably already can.
After all, if the North can successfully send a missile halfway across the planet, the weight differential of adding a warhead is probably well within its capabilities. After all, we already know from the Washington Post’s reporting earlier this summer that the North has become operational in warhead-miniaturization techniques.
So, what next?
Well, as I explained earlier this afternoon, the U.S. must dramatically and immediately escalate its pressure on the Chinese government. Only Beijing can exert the kind of economic leverage necessary to force Kim to compromise.
Absent that, get ready to live with a nuclear ICBM-armed North Korea or for President Trump to employ U.S. military force.
