The commander of the U.S. Pacific Command has stressed the need for technologies like THAAD to counter North Korea’s provocations.
 
Speaking at the WEST 2017 naval conference and exposition in San Diego on Tuesday, Navy Admiral Harry Harris said “North Korea distinguishes itself as the only nation to have tested nuclear weapons in this century.”
 
[Sound bite:U.S. Pacific Command Commander Harry Harris (English]
"Combining nuclear warheads with ballistic missile technologies in the hands of a volatile leader like Kim Jong-un is a recipe for disaster.”
"An aggressive weapons test schedule, as demonstrated by yet another ballistic missile launch earlier this month, moves North Korea closer to its stated goals.”
 
He said that’s why there is a need to remain “ever vigilant” in “efforts to defend the U.S. homeland and the homelands of our allies in South Korea and Japan” and therefore the need for “technologies like THAAD and F-35 joint strike fighters to be operationalized in Northeast Asia.”

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