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U.S. sends THAAD anti-missile system to Guam after NK threats

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Posted By: Michael Hoffman April 3, 2013

Moments after the U.S. announced the deployment of a ballistic missile defense system to Guam, the North Korean Army has reportedly received “final authority” for a nuclear attack against the U.S.

The U.S. military will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system “in the coming weeks” to the U.S. Pacific territory as a “precautionary move to “strengthen our regional defense posture against the North Korean regional ballistic missile threat,” according to a Pentagon statement.

The U.S. announcements follows a series of nuclear tests and threats from North Korean leadership about an attack on the U.S. and South Korea. The evidence from those tests have left more questions than answers about the level of the North Korean’s nuclear program.

The Pentagon outlined the capabilities of the THAAD system and explained the importance of protecting the U.S. territory from any sort of attack from the North Koreans. That statement is below.

The THAAD system is a land-based missile defense system that includes a truck-mounted launcher, a complement of interceptor missiles, an AN/TPY-2 tracking radar, and an integrated fire control system. This deployment will strengthen defense capabilities for American citizens in the U.S. Territory of Guam and U.S. forces stationed there.

The United States continues to urge the North Korean leadership to cease provocative threats and choose the path of peace by complying with its international obligations. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and stands ready to defend U.S. territory, our allies, and our national interests.

About the Author

Michael Hoffman
Michael Hoffman is the executive editor at Tandem NSI and a contributor to Military.com. He can be reached at mhoffman@tandemnsi.com.

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  • USS ENTERPRISE

    Oh man. This is going to be a shoutfest. No nukes are going to be flying towards the stars and stripes. To Guam. Maybe. To Japan and SK, yes. But to the American population. No. So I guess this isn’t to bad. From reports I have seen THAAD ain’t that bad. 5 fails and 15 success, well, I guess its alright. But even if the missile gets close to an “ICBM” then it will change its trajectory. Almost like a proximity fuse.

    • Stan

      They would need one heck of a slingshot to get the nukes anywhere beyond their borders, but I don’t thing they have enough rubber.

    • wpnexp

      THAAD is only capable against a Theater range missile (IRBM/MRBM) at best. It would not be a good candidate against an ICBM. The SM-3 Blk1b and the GBI are the only real ICBM killers we have. Would be nice if the President hadn’t killed that YAL-1A though. That beast can deploy anywhere quickly, loiter for hours and if perfected could shoot them down 30 or 40 missiles (or planes) at a time. Maybe more if they figured out how to refuel the chemicals needed for the laser like we can off-load fuel to planes.

      • STemplar

        As long as you can fly it within 200 miles of the launch location.

      • Badmofo850
      • Badmofo850
      • Badmofo850
      • Badmofo850
      • Badmofo850
    • blight_

      DPRK would need to focus on area denial for the Navy and a ground assault on South Korea. I suppose they could threaten to nuke people if the United States intervenes; and count on the United States’ desire to avoid getting innocents nuked combined with a Let-Those-Guys-Do-Their-Own-Fighting to keep this a 1:1 with the ROK. Those are their best odds.

    • Benjamin

      “No nukes are going to be flying towards the stars and stripes. To Guam. Maybe. To Japan and SK, yes. But to the American population. No.”

      Guam is a part of the U.S. and there are citizens who have lived there for many generations.

      • USS ENTERPRISE

        Okay, what I meant was mainland USA. I just thought that people would be able to tell.

  • Taylor

    Unfortunately, the North Koreans could put them on ships and take them into a harbor, fly them near the border and set them off for an EMP, tunnel them under the DMZ, or give one to the Iranians. Lots of ways to attack other than on a missile, but they would still lose and chubby would have to find a job somewhere else.

    • USS ENTERPRISE

      On the water? Their navy is a “green water” navy. Heck, the coast guard would stop them before anything. They might give it to the Iranians, but then again, NK wants to be known to “shut down” the “merciless imperial Americans”. Those invasions tunnels could have a nuke in them. So possibly.

      • Joshua
      • Joshua
        • USS ENTERPRISE

          We have some tunnels, but it is believed that there are hundreds more under the ground. But I think Bunker-busters and J-Dams will just wipe them out, if we plan on carpet bombing the “DMZ”.

      • blight_

        They deliver Scuds, so they obviously have ships that do business somehow.

        A nuke won’t give you much EMP detonated low-altitude airburst. It needs to be high altitude to interface with the Van Allens.

    • Warfighter

      Mostly true, but the EMP component needs to be detonated at high altitude for it to be of any real effect. Otherwise, the power of the EMP is mostly contained to the area that suffers the blast effects.

    • blight_
  • orly?

    It will take several weeks to deploy THAAD.

    It takes 15 minutes to bunmoor a US Navy ship.

    I think the best thing to do right now is to mobilize a fleet.

  • bob

    When did Capt. Dolt Lummox take command of the Big-E? Launch the mooncalf @ NK!

  • STemplar

    I read they are prepping another missile ‘test’ probably for a mid April launch to go with their original dear leader’s birthday. I wonder with the two X band radars being moved and the 2 BMD destroyers if we might shoot this one down. The THAAD deployment is just ramping up ABM on Guam, which we needed anyway.

  • Warfighter

    My bigger concern with all this rhetoric is that a jumpy grunt somewhere reacts to a perceived threat and unintentionally sets off the flashpoint. Case in point: in 2011, some troop along the DMZ shot at a passenger aircraft, thinking it was a military jet.

    • USS ENTERPRISE

      Well, that is possible. I do understand that the North and South exchange information on air traffic. But then again, those Norks can be highly unpredictable and violent…

  • Musson

    I am not suggesting that Kim is unstable, but in the latest photo released by the NORKS,
    he is wearing wire rimmed glasses, holding a clipboard and standing next to Colonel Henry
    Blake.

  • NorthAsh

    Well, I just hope that THAAD actually works. Shades of the Patriot farce in Gulf War 1 when they had no effect on incoming Scuds from Saddam, despite the blatant lies.

    • USS ENTERPRISE

      Indeed. But from I have read, the THADD has had pretty good testing and training records. At least, better than the Patriot.

    • tritium

      THAAD is also employs a sophisticated, kinetic, hit-to-kill warhead, which is completely different than the original Patriots used during the first Gulf War.

    • STemplar

      The Patriots in gulf war 1 were never intended for anti missile use.

  • Benjamin

    I hope they do not have to be actually used.

  • Thad

    My name is Thaddeus so I find this hilarious.

  • Rob

    Be more concerned about them getting a sub to our east coast. All they have to do is follow the Russian sea boarder across the north pole

    • orly?

      And our several decades of tailing Soviet subs taught us nothing?

      • blight_

        On paper, stalking noisy diesels should be easy. I question if their SSK’s have the range. If they have SSN’s, can they land attack? Do they have SSGN’s, or even SSBN’s or SSB’s?

  • Elijah

    The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he will. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; but the LORD pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Who controls the Korean Puppet.