SecDef Mattis puts North Korea on notice over ‘provocative behavior’

Harold C. Hutchison
Feb 4, 2020 5:24 PM PST
1 minute read
Technology photo

SUMMARY

Kim Jong Un may have just received his only warning to shape up or risk upsetting Secretary of Defense James “Chaos” Mattis. And when Chaos Mattis gets pissed off… well, it would be a lie to say it was nice knowing Kim Jong Un. Accor…

Kim Jong Un may have just received his only warning to shape up or risk upsetting Secretary of Defense James "Chaos" Mattis. And when Chaos Mattis gets pissed off… well, it would be a lie to say it was nice knowing Kim Jong Un.


According to a report by CBSNews.com, Mattis indicated that the United States could very well end up deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, formerly known as the "Theater High-Altitude Area Defense" system, to South Korea. Either way, the system, dubbed THAAD, is used to shoot down ballistic missiles like those pointed at Seoul from the north.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis meets with South Korea's acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, during a visit to Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 2, 2017. (DoD photo by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

"Well, you know, North Korea has often acted in a provocative way, and it's hard to anticipate what they do," he told reporters, according to a DOD transcript of a press gaggle on board his aircraft as it was en route to Osan Air Base in South Korea.

"There's only one reason that we even have this under discussion right now, and that is North Korea's activities," he added. "That THAAD is for defense of our allies people, of our troops who are committed to their defense. And were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea we would have no need for THAAD out here."

The first of two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors is launched during a successful intercept test. The test, designated Flight Test Operational-01 (FTO-01), stressed the ability of the Aegis BMD and THAAD weapon systems to function in a layered defense architecture and defeat a raid of two near-simultaneous ballistic missile targets. (DOD photo)

THAAD is a ballistic missile defense system. According to Army-Technology.com, the system has a range of at least 200 kilometers (124 miles), and is able to hit targets almost 500,000 feet above ground level (ArmyRecognition.com credits THAAD with a range of 1,000 kilometers – equivalent to over 600 miles).

A Missile Defense Agency fact sheet notes that each THAAD launcher holds eight missiles. The system also uses the AN/TPY-2 radar to track targets. Currently, six batteries are in service per the MDA fact sheet. A 2016 Defense News article notes that each battery has six launchers.

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