29 April 2017

News Story: US anti-missile system in South Korea has limits

By: Foster Klug

SEOUL, South Korea — Neat certainties are rare in the North Korean nuclear crisis, which for decades has simmered and occasionally boiled over, without resolution. 

So it was jarring to see the absolute confidence with which America's top Pacific commander described the ability of a contentious U.S. missile defense system, scheduled to be up and running in days in South Korea, to shoot down North Korean missiles. 

"If it flies, it will die," Adm. Harry Harris told U.S. lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday. 

Like nearly everything associated with the world's last Cold War standoff, the truth is muddier. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has its limits and unknowns. 

However, Harris does have some data to back up his bold statement. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews