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Latest ICBM from North Korea Puts Entire Continental U.S.
In Range
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Shizuo
Kambayashi/ AP
North Korea
has once again launched a missile capable of striking the United
States — this time, demonstrating the ability to
reach as far as Washington, D.C. and the rest of the east coast.
- U.S.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis said the test showed North Korea
has the capability to strike
"everywhere
in the world basically."
- North
Korean state-run TV (KCNA) announced that the successful
test was of a new Hwasong-15 missile, with "much greater
advantages in its tactical and technological specifications"
than the Hwasong-14 ICBM, which was tested last in July. Full KCNA statement here.
- North
Korea watcher David Wright, of the Union of Concerned
Scientists, estimated the missile's range at 13,000 km (North Korea to D.C. is
less than 11,000 km) but noted, "it seems
likely that it carried a very light mock warhead. If true, that
means it would be incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead to this
long distance."
- Experts
have told The Cipher Brief that there are likely technological
hurdles left before North Korea is able to effectively strike the
U.S. with a nuclear ICBM — including miniaturization, re-entry,
and accuracy — but with the Kim regime's current rate of
progress, it may not be long before these hurdles are overcome.
How can the
international community reach a diplomatic solution with North Korea?
Ambassador
Joseph DeTrani, former U.S. Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks with North
Korea,
offers his thoughts:
- Look
to the recent East Asia Summit: "The consensus at
the meeting was that more must be done to peacefully resolve the
nuclear issue with North Korea – though China and the U.S. each
pointed to the other as holding the key to initiating those
talks."
- China
should encourage North Korea to enter 'exploratory talks' with the
U.S.: "These
talks would permit North Korea to discuss their security concerns
and related demands. U.S. concerns and demands could also be brought
up. If the talks are productive, then official negotiations...could
commence."
- Convince
Kim Jong-un that denuclearizing is a better option: "Providing
security assurances, a peace treaty and a more normal relationship
with the U.S. may convince Kim Jung-un that denuclearization is
better than an isolated and heavily sanctioned North Korea."
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In Defense of Tapping the Internet to Keep You Safe
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In one month, the
authorities provided under Section 702 of the Foreign
Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA) are due to expire unless
reauthorized by Congress.
Lawmakers are
expected to renew FISA, but may put another expiration
deadline on the bill, and also add limitations to how the government is
allowed to use the information it collects under these authorities.
Former government
officials at The Cipher Brief's Cyber Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday
said that the intelligence collection enabled by the
authorities under FISA 702 has been determined to be one of the most
productive sources of intelligence ever afforded to the National Security
Agency.
- Michael
Hayden, former Director of NSA and CIA: “702 is still the most
successful SIGINT [signals intelligence] in the history of the
National Security Agency. We have had no program that has produced
as much intelligence as this program."
- Matt
Olsen,
former
general counsel at NSA: "Section
702 has been such a valuable and effective authority for foreign
intelligence collection [because] so much of the world’s
communications infrastructure is in the United States."
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