North Korea’s missile program redefines ‘short range’

An overview of North Korea’s missile program has revealed many capabilities that are not well-defined by the mainstream media. Perhaps it is too technical, but the information is quite important. They have a short-range missile program and a short-range portable missile program that can be placed on a ship and deployed anywhere in international waters. Both of these weapons employ a solid fuel engine for payload delivery. Solid fuel could be compared to gunpowder, since it is always loaded and requires no fueling operation prior to launch.

The short-range portable missile utilizes a launch vehicle that resembles an open-ended canister that houses the missile and provides support and pressurization. Initial launch is accomplished by steam pressure. We have used this system since the 1970s in our land-based Peacekeeper ICBM (decommissioned) and various ship and submarine missiles. These launches can be discerned from regular solid fuel missile launches by observing the belated rocket engine ignition that occurs well above the site. Also visible are some pieces of foam rubber that are used as packing around the missile to create a tight seal for the steam pressure launch. This system is used primarily to protect the ship from damage during launch. There is nothing preventing the North Koreans from installing this missile on a ship and deploying it to within 12 nautical miles of Hawaii or California, which is legally international waters. We now have a new definition of “short range.”

The long range multi-stage North Korean ICBM, shown most recently on TV, is liquid fueled. Their launch videos are evidence (light blue flame) and they are quite proud of the variety of missiles in their arsenal. Liquid-fueled rockets have one disadvantage. They must be fueled immediately before launch, and our military satellites can detect this operation if the atmosphere is clear.

I don’t believe there is any amount of dialogue with the North Korean leader that would be useful. We should protect Hawaii and our west coast by tracking all vessels departing North Korea to insure a level of protection beyond our 12 nautical mile limit. We should also aim our Minuteman III ICBM’s at our new potential enemy.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "North Korea’s missile program redefines ‘short range’."