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| Experts Puzzle Over N.Korean 'Precision Strike' Threat | |
| 2013-03-09 | |
North Korea on Wednesday planted a bomb among some defense pundits by threatening to use "precision nuclear strikes" that can turn Seoul and Washington into a "sea of fire."
One member of a state-run research institute pointed out that North Korea in principle has the technology to hit the U.S. mainland with an intercontinental ballistic missile. "Through the successful rocket launch in December, North Korea is believed to have developed an ICBM with a maximum range of more than 10,000 km," he said. The expert, who asked to remain anonymous, speculated this could be used to deliver a so-called electromagnetic pulse bomb. One way of delivering a destructive electromagnetic pulse could be to detonate a nuclear weapon at high altitude in an effort to incapacitate all electric systems and electronic devices. An official with the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses here told a National Assembly hearing in 2009, "North Korea is capable of using a small nuclear warhead in the form of an EMP bomb." The official added, "If a 20 kt nuclear weapon explodes 40 to 60 km above the East Sea, all weapons equipped with electronic equipment on the Korean Peninsula could become incapacitated." | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 An official with the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses here told a National Assembly hearing in 2009, "North Korea is capable of using a small nuclear warhead in the form of an EMP bomb." The official added, "If a 20 kt nuclear weapon explodes 40 to 60 km above the East Sea, all weapons equipped with electronic equipment on the Korean Peninsula could become incapacitated." No. Next question. All kidding aside - EMP is a very real threat, but the Norks popping one off a few miles up and sending us all back to the 19th century is not going to happen. They would need - at the very least - several MUCH larger bombs, big USSR scale ICBMs, and an accuracy and C3 capability they simply have not shown. And using 'precision nuclear strikes'? Please. It's literally a case of someone parroting something they've heard. Right now, 'precision' for the Norks means hitting the Korean Peninsula and maybe Japan. Mike Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2013-03-09 17:22 |
| #13 Now why would he target Washington, when perfectly good targets are all along the West-Coast? I'd think Los Angeles getting nuked would have more of a effect than Washington. |
| Posted by: Charles 2013-03-09 17:04 |
| #12 And they DO have orbit capability. Who's last heard of their tumbler? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2013-03-09 15:36 |
| #11 Orion: interesting book, poorly written. But yes, you don't need an ICBM if you want to do an EMP, a DC9 will do nicely. Won't get as much coverage, etc., but you'd get enough to cause serious problems. And our attention. Though maybe not Champ's. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2013-03-09 11:14 |
| #10 I agree with Orion on this. I've always wondered how realistic the chances are to clandestinely load it on an airliner from the Mid-East or S. America and detonate it at altitude over CONUS. EMP is a helluva drug. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2013-03-09 10:40 |
| #9 Administration blames fracking and escaping natural gas for huge blast and flaming sinkhole that swallowed Potomac Mills Mall and surrounding communities. [sarc off] |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-03-09 09:49 |
| #8 If such were to happen, Holder and the Nobel winner would conclude that no military response is necessary since it was a property crime. |
| Posted by: Jack Salami 2013-03-09 09:42 |
| #7 Well, at least in Western legal precedent, the owner of the pitbull can be held liable for the actions of its pet. That's one way to nullify any Treasury holdings, but I suspect they've been offload the paper for a couple years now. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-03-09 09:40 |
| #6 If y'all wanna do something y'all should consider doing something about the country that bred the dog and injected it with rabies to begin with. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-03-09 09:01 |
| #5 It would be like murdering a bunch of plantation slaves for the sins da Masser committed. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-03-09 08:59 |
| #4 It will be a stone age with no rocks. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-03-09 06:30 |
| #3 Was there ever any conclusive report on what or who appeared to launch a missile off our West coast? One Missile with MIRV'd warheads from a boomer and the Norks complete their trip to the Stone Age. |
| Posted by: SAM New Delhi 2013-03-09 06:26 |
| #2 Easy enough to barge the launch platform through Panama as drilling equipment and deliver the detectable warhead via submarine for assembly. No reason for a ICBM-type launch other than use the buildup as a diversion. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2013-03-09 01:09 |
| #1 Anybody here read 'One Second After'? I doubt they'd bother with a missile from North Korea. Either deliver it via a container ship or a fishing vessel, or launch the missile from a freighter in the Gulf and pop it over the central US. By the time our Nobel Peace Prize winner figured out who did what, he'd probably ask for more sanctions... Orion |
| Posted by: Orion 2013-03-09 00:50 |