Janes:- USFK confirms North Korea’s Hwaseong-15 ICBM can target all of US mainland

[Asturias56]

https://www.janes.com/article/89826/usfk-confirms-north-korea-s-hwaseong-15-icbm-can-target-all-of-us-mainland?utm_campaign=CL_Jane%27s%20360-July-12-2019_PC5308_e-production_E-38606_KP_0712_0530&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

United States Forces Korea (USFK) has confirmed North Korean claims that the Northeast Asian country's Hwaseong-15 (also spelled Hwasong-15) road-mobile, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) can strike targets anywhere in the US mainland. The weapon, which was test-fired by North Korea on 29 November 2017, has an estimated range of 8,000 miles (12,875 km), meaning that it is "capable of striking any part" of the US mainland, said USFK in its '2019 Strategic Digest', which it published jointly with United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command.

For comparison, in its 2018 Defense White Paper the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) had put the weapon's range at "more than 10,000 km".

On the day the ICBM was test-launched Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that the Hwaseong-15 had reached an altitude of 4,475 km and flown a linear distance of 950 km before coming down, making it the ballistic missile with the potential for the longest range so far tested by Pyongyang. However, no information has yet emerged about the size of the payload the Hwaseong-15 was carrying when test-fired, which would ultimately affect its range. The KCNA has described the Hwaseong-15 as an ICBM "tipped with super-large heavy warhead", offering "greater advantages in its tactical and technological specifications and technical characteristics than [the] Hwaseong-14 [ICBM]", which during a 28 July 2017 test-launch reached a reported altitude of 3,724.9 km and flew a linear distance of 998 km before coming down.

As for the Hwaseong-14, which was first test-fired on 4 July 2017, USFK said that the missile could reach "most" of the US mainland, given its estimated range of 6,250 miles. The Japanese MoD had put the range of this weapon at "more than 5,500 km".

[Treble one]

Has the Donald tweeted his latest Foreign Policy update in response to this yet?

[racedo]

Has the Donald tweeted his latest Foreign Policy update in response to this yet?

US has missiles that can hit North Korea.

As both Leaders seem keen to JawJaw rather than WarWar then unless someone does something stupid (here's looking at the "B Team" and John "Chickenhawk" Bolton) then it really is irrelevant.

North Korea well knows US capability and that is a restraining impact on what it does. US knowing that North Korea has some limited capability to hit the US may restrain some of the people who want to fight everybody in the world.

[SASless]

Look back at the history of Democrat Administrations "dealing" with the North Koreans before you go off banging the Hate Trump drum.

He has made far more progress getting them to the negotiating table than every Administration/President before him.

Don't let your bias blind you to reality.

North Korea is bonafide threat to World Peace....without any doubt whatsoever.

Finding a way to get them into the mainstream of nation states and headed down the road to accepting they are secure from outside attack thus undermining their perceived need for Nuclear capability is paramount to achieving success in any negotiation with them.

Some food for thought......


https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/op2.pdf

[racedo]

Look back at the history of Democrat Administrations "dealing" with the North Koreans before you go off banging the Hate Trump drum.

He has made far more progress getting them to the negotiating table than every Administration/President before him.

Don't let your bias blind you to reality.

North Korea is bonafide threat to World Peace....without any doubt whatsoever.

Finding a way to get them into the mainstream of nation states and headed down the road to accepting they are secure from outside attack thus undermining their perceived need for Nuclear capability is paramount to achieving success in any negotiation with them.

Some food for thought......


https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/op2.pdf

Some will blame Trump for everything, he is doing ok at ensuring American youth are not returning home in body bags, long may he continue doing that.

If I was NK Govt I would not be giving up nukes, no matter what treaty / undertaking / plan or agreement that Washington provides.

Sadly history is littered with US Administrations who have gone back on their word, torn up treaties, had succeeding Presidents / Congress walk away from commitments of their predecessors.

[Just This Once...]

He has made far more progress getting them to the negotiating table than every Administration/President before him.


Or caved-in, provided ill-conceived face-time with a western world leader with nothing in return, achieved zero with the negotiations and watched NK achieve its goal of putting the US mainland under a direct nuclear threat.

Not a pretty picture.

[SASless]

So...Trump has been in Office coming on three years....and you are trying to suggest the North Korean Missile program's successes are Trump's fault?

Now that is just plain stupid!

I suggest you read the article I linked in my post then get back with us on which American President you can play "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" about.

BBC reported Trump said he would walk out if the negotiation failed to be productive....and guess what....he walked!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43818751

[racedo]

Or caved-in, provided ill-conceived face-time with a western world leader with nothing in return, achieved zero with the negotiations and watched NK achieve its goal of putting the US mainland under a direct nuclear threat.

Not a pretty picture.

ROFL

US has been under direct nuclear threat for decades, just like rest of the world from all those countries with nukes.

Everybody seems to think that meet once and force someone to give up everything in return for nothing is negotiation. The fact that people are talking means there is a chance that the Korean way may actually officially end and that both sides while still hating each other may talk.

I love hearing those always demanding war, burying your loved one who may come home or maybe just bits or maybe not at all because they vaporised seems to get ignored. Sacrifice all your family members first before demanding someone else does it.

[Asturias56]

SAS

"Look back at the history of Democrat Administrations "dealing" with the North Koreans before you go off banging the Hate Trump drum."

I thought Truman was a Democrat - and he REALLY did something about N Korean aggression....................... it was Eisenhower ( a Republican) who "brought the boys back home" and agreed to a divided country .... no?????

TBH Democrats & Republicans have ALL "dealt" with foreigners - and the political party is little guide to their success or failure in major conflicts

Democrats - Korea, Vietnam
Republicans - Gulf War 1 & 2

About square I'd say

[Just This Once...]

So...Trump has been in Office coming on three years....and you are trying to suggest the North Korean Missile program's successes are Trump's fault?

Now that is just plain stupid!


It was you who mentioned Trump, not I and being British I have no stake in the US political tribes or their fan-base.

But if you must, the man you speak of insisted that the other party had let NK get too far and that he would stop any further development. In this he failed and the 'fire and fury' he promoted only seemed to rattle the sane world leaders.

North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!

...well, apparently it did.

North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me. I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me.

...said the spokesman of North Korea?

Nobody can really support Trump's position as he has held 2 conflicting ones. Some have chosen to pick one and ignore the other. Meanwhile the number of countries with thermonuclear ICBMs has increased by 1.

​​​​​​​Worryingly the number of destabilised and erratic closed-country regimes with ICBMs has gone from zero to 1. Militarily this is a big deal. The likelihood of Soviet Russia firing a salvo at continental USA was vanishingly small but the consequences were so great that it had to be considered. North Korea does not have the relative stability achieved and demonstrated by the USSR during the Cold War.

[SASless]

Or(Trump) caved-in, provided ill-conceived face-time with a western world leader with nothing in return, achieved zero with the negotiations and watched NK achieve its goal of putting the US mainland under a direct nuclear threat.

Not a pretty picture.

It was you who mentioned Trump, not I and being British I have no stake in the US political tribes or their fan-base.

Yes I did mention Trump by name and you immediately responded with your two posts quoted above.....which you most assuredly were talking of Trump.

If you have no dog in this fight...why do you hold forth as you do?

You reading the WaPo or NYT...watching CNN to get your Talking Points?

Trump is not a likable fellow...and certainly could use some Image polishing....but you must remember he was elected to turn over some apple carts and cause change.

He is doing that....our economy is booming, historical low unemployment, stock market at an all time high, much reduced regulation, and done despite the hate, anger, resistance, and obstruction by the Democrats, Media, and Political Elite.

Take those blinders off and count his successes along with his failures....deal with reality as it is....not as you wish it to be.

[Fonsini]

Using a genuine nuclear threat as yet another attack angle against Trump is mindless stupidity.

[Just This Once...]

Using a genuine nuclear threat as yet another attack angle against Trump is mindless stupidity.

Well I agree with you that it is a genuine threat, or at least a grave concern. The only attack angle against the US administration is that they no longer appear to be concerned to the point of defending NK actions. Militarily this appears to be rather odd and contradicts previous positions on the matter, causing confusion among US allies including SK and Japan.

Two years ago the US government was moving additional carrier firepower to the area when, arguably, the threat was lower. I've no idea why some bring in the US economy, media, Democrats et al to a serious military topic - bizarre.

[SASless]

Perhaps that happens...both the lack of Carriers and reminding some of the difference between this administration and its predecessor when it comes to the "art of the deal".

Military power should be used as an extension/integral part of diplomacy.

North Koreans, if you remember your history lessons, are very tough negotiators as evidenced by how long it took to get an Armistice Agreement to bring active hostilities to an end in 1953.

They learned their lessons then...and know that time is on their side and public interest is being swayed by all the political pressure being applied to the sitting US President.

In case you have not noticed....each Administration is different based not only the person elected President but also from which party he stems from.

Republicans and Democrats are no different than your own bunch of Pollies when it comes to having differing views of how things are to be.

Perhaps your world view is bit blinkered if you think otherwise.


.

[Old RN]

Why should NK believe there is any value in negotiating? Every single nuclear deal the US has negotiated with countries which have nuclear development programs have ended up with the US/EU breaking the deal (Iran, Libya (kill the president), Iraq (invade to get rid of WMDs) and NKorea's first deal (do not provide the promised fuel oil, do not fund the promised new PWR nuclear power station)). There have been no cases where the US has honoured an agreement they made in this area.

[orca]

Supposedly - now that a threat country has a system that can target any fixed airfield in the USA - the ‘bin constantly moving carriers because the threat can sink them’ brigade will turn its attention to the fixed / ‘targetable using google’ airfields?

[Asturias56]

I doubt the NK Rocket Force can actually target an airfield - and why would they - fire maybe 20 rockets - they're CIty strike only - that's what frightens the voters in the USA etc - same as the early US/Russian?UK/French deterrents

Once you have 5000 warheads you can start playing games about targeting

[SASless]

American Voters "frightened" by North Korea.......bull****!

The American Voter is frightened by or in love with the Leftist Agenda currently.....half embrace it and half hate it.....North Korea matters not to them.

Joe Six Pack out here is more concerned about paying his bills and going fishing and have no notion that North Korea even exists.

Please do not ascribe thoughts to the average American Voter who in reality have IQ's about equal to that of a head of cabbage!

[BEagle]

Please do not ascribe thoughts to the average American Voter who in reality have has an IQ's about equal to that of a head of cabbage!

There, fixed that for you!

Spams are like the Red Arrows - quite pleasant in ones and twos, but a PITA when there are 9 of them or more in the same place!

(I may or may not be teasing you, SASless!)

[racedo]

American Voters "frightened" by North Korea.......bull****!

The American Voter is frightened by or in love with the Leftist Agenda currently.....half embrace it and half hate it.....North Korea matters not to them.

Joe Six Pack out here is more concerned about paying his bills and going fishing and have no notion that North Korea even exists.

Please do not ascribe thoughts to the average American Voter who in reality have IQ's about equal to that of a head of cabbage!

Huh

Had I written that i would be accused of being anti-american.

[SASless]

You are....but in this instance you would have been correct.

[racedo]

You are....but in this instance you would have been correct.

Hmph. What about all the other ones I have been correct in ;)