North Korea and Us, Now.
What do we owe our fellow citizens? The current news coming out of North Korea is alarming, and potentially deadly to this country. On the one hand, there is no immediate need for panic, but, on the other hand, there is a real and present danger to you, and your family. There is no answer that is one hundred per cent correct. I will forge ahead, and you decide what you think.
The news today that was leaked from the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, states that the North Koreans have “miniaturized” a nuclear warhead that the can fit inside of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, ICBM, that they tested last week, and that alarmed the American military establishment because it used solid rocket fuel, rather than liquid, which means that the rocket does not have to sit on the launch pad for fueling, or the heating of the fuel. This reduces the window that we would have to destroy the missile before it was ignited and launched. The trajectory of the missile also surprised and alarmed defense analysts. It went straight up, but the heights that it attained in the atmosphere prove that the missile sustained its flight path long enough that if it were pointed towards the United States, it would make it.
The existence of this ICBM, with solid fuel, proves that we are now under the threat, in this country, of a weapon that can be launched and maintain its trajectory to make it here. Analysts estimated that the rocket would not be able to carry a nuclear warhead, which is very heavy, and still make it to the US. That changed today, when the DIA leak, running in the Washington Post, revealed that the North Koreans have a nuclear warhead that is small enough to be put inside the missile — and presumably it will also be able to survive re-entry into the atmosphere, to be detonated closer to the ground — which is not good news.
The Japanese Defense Ministry added information in their annual report released today that shows that North Korean’s may be much further along in the development of nuclear tipped missiles than previously thought. You can read about the report here:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/…/japan-defense-ministry-war…/…
So, should everyone panic? Not necessarily, but don’t just bury your head in the sand either. You need to understand where the threat lies, and what it could mean for you if we are suddenly in an extremely tense and difficult situation. I wouldn’t be running around buying a bomb shelter, but I might think about how I could contact people in the event that there is a disruption to the electrical grid. If you have a child that is especially vulnerable, like one with special needs, a thorough evaluation of what they might need in a situation seems especially necessary. I would also advise that thinking low tech would be helpful.
What information might be good to have on a piece of paper? If you have young children, equipping them with printouts that have the address’s not just of home, but of a parents office doesn’t seem alarmist. It also seems that designating a meeting place, maybe not your home, is sensible. Having the phone numbers of a relative or a friend that lives in a different part of the country might also be a good idea — cell phones jam locally first. If you have a grandparent that has a landline, they seem more reliable than cell phones. And, if you include some postcards and stamps, the post office always seems to be able to get mail through.
Again, thinking low tech helps. You might want to have a radio that uses batteries, lots of flashlights, the usual stuff. Again, think low tech. Look at your phone and figure out what you might need on it and print that out. Better safe than sorry.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/e14b882a-7b6b-11e7-9d08-b7…
