There’s no way to know if United Nations sanctions will deter a North Korean missile attack or provoke one. (“North Korea vows to launch nuclear strike against U.S.,” March 7.)
That’s why diplomacy alone isn’t enough when dealing with unstable leaders like Kim Jong-Un – one day he’s watching basketball with Dennis Rodman, the next he’s threatening a “preemptive nuclear strike”.
But instead of beefing up our defenses, Congress is caught up in a budget cutting frenzy that could leave U.S. cities exposed. The “sequester” cuts are slashing military readiness, putting Obama’s “pivot” to Asia on hold and threatening the ballistic missile defenses we’d need to stop a North Koreans ICBM.
That GMD shield has proven itself in a decade of successful testing, silencing skeptics and winning praise from President Obama himself in his State of the Union address. But it needs continued improvement like larger interceptor fields and better radar to distinguish true missiles from decoys.
The North Korean nuclear threat is real – analysts say Pyongyang could have 48 nuclear bombs by 2105 and it already possesses a rocket that can reach San Francisco or LA. Diplomacy is important, but we can’t put all our eggs in that basket.
Captain Bob Ridder, USMC (ret.)
Memphis, Tenn.