hankyoreh

By Park Min-hee and Kim Kyu-won, staff reporters

The US navy is placing missile defense sea-based X-band radar (SBX-1) and sophisticated destroyers in the waters near the Korean Peninsula to prepare for the possibility of a North Korean missile launch, US news outlets reported.

According to an Apr. 1 CNN report, the navy is currently positioning SBX-1 with ballistic missile detection radar in waters close to North Korea. A US Department of Defense official was quoted as saying that the system, which is capable of monitoring military movement and detecting missile launch activity, was on its way to the East Sea. The official also said this was the navy’s first response to the threat of a North Korean provocation.

SBX-1 is part of the US missile defense system, with a towering dome fitted with X-band radar over a semi-submersible oilrig. It is a huge piece of equipment, measuring 85 meters high and 116 meters long. It is capable of monitoring missile activity within a 2,000 km radius. The US sent it from Hawaii to the Philippines on December 12 of last year to track the trajectory of North Korea‘s long-range rocket.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that the Aegis destroyers John S. McCain and Decatur were also on their way to Korean waters. The McCain is capable of intercepting mid- and long-range missiles launched by North Korea. The Fitzgerald, another naval missile destroyer taking part in the Foal Eagle joint exercises, was reported by AFP to be headed southwest of the peninsula instead of returning to its homeport in Japan.

A South Korean Ministry of National Defense official said there was no way of knowing at the moment where the SBX-1 or destroyers were coming because the US military does not report to South Korea on its activities.

“It would be the first time SBX-1 was positioned near the peninsula,” the official said, adding that there was a possibility the Department of Defense is taking the measures to reassure the US public after North Korea mentioned the possibility of a strike against the mainland US.

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