North Korea has reportedly been boosting its defenses along its east coast in response to U.S. bomber flights near the rogue regime.
After U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers, powerful conventional bombers, flew past North Korea Saturday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency saw the Korean People’s Army moving warplanes and coastal defense units into position in the eastern part of the country. (RELATED: US Bombers Rip Past North Korea To Remind ‘Rocket Man’ Of American Power)
“Since the U.S. declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States’ strategic bombers, even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country,” North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said Monday.
While North Korea asserts that President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations was a declaration of war, the White House claims that the regime’s thoughts on this issue are absurd, adding that the Trump administration has not declared war on North Korea.
It is unclear if North Korea would or even could shoot down a modern U.S. aircraft, although it should be noted that North Korea has shot down U.S. military aircraft in the past. (RELATED: How Seriously Should The US Take North Korea’s Threat To Gun Down American Aircraft? It’s Done It Before)
North Korea’s new KN-06 surface-to-air missile system is believed to have a range of roughly 90 miles.
If the North Korean military detects U.S. military aircrafts, the American warplanes will receive a notification, allowing escorts to handle North Korean defenses while the bomber carries out its mission.
Despite the heated war of words between Pyongyang and Washington, the U.S. has not noticed any significant posture shifts on the part of the North Korean military that would signal that a war is on the horizon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dunford said Tuesday. North Korea, however, maintains a consistent wartime mentality, expecting a possible conflict at all times.
The U.S. military units in the region are ready to “fight tonight” in the event that a hostile power ignites an armed conflict with the U.S.
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