Washington — Not everybody asserts that the US military can defend the US from the growing threat posed by North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability as confidently as the Pentagon. Pyongyang’s first test, on Tuesday, of an ICBM with the potential to strike the state of Alaska has raised the question as to how capable the US military is of knocking down an incoming missile or barrage of missiles. Briefing reporters on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Navy captain Jeff Davis said: "We do have confidence in our ability to defend against the limited threat, the nascent threat that is there." Davis cited a successful test in May in which a US-based missile interceptor knocked down a simulated incoming North Korean ICBM, but he acknowledged the test’s track programme was not perfect. "It’s something we have mixed results on, but we also have an ability to shoot more than one interceptor." An internal memo seen by Reuters also showed that the Pentagon upgraded its ass...
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