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2005 a successful launch was achieved of a THAAD interceptor missile. This test starts a new round of THAAD developmental testing that builds on the investment from earlier THAAD tests

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

The US Department of Defense announced plans on Apr. 3 to introduce a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) intermediate-range missile interception network to beef up its defense posture against the North Korean ballistic missile threat. This would be the first time the system has been deployed outside US territory.

In a statement that day, the department said the system would be positioned in Guam within the next few weeks as a preventive measure that will bolster the US defense posture.

The system, which includes a truck-mounted launch pad, interception missile, AN/TYP-2 X-band tracking radar, and an integrated firing control system, is intended to strengthen the defense of US residents on Guam and troops stationed there, the department said.

Analysts said the move was driven by the detection of signs that North Korea was transporting mobile missiles to its East Sea coast. The country has previously said that Guam and Hawaii would be targets for potential missile strikes.

THAAD was developed to shoot down intermediate-range missiles attacking US military bases. It is estimated to cost US$800 million per system.

The US first planned to position THAAD in the Middle East in 2015 to protect the United Arab Emirates and other allies there from the threat of Iranian missiles. The US news media said the decision to bring it to Guam indicated that the North Korean threat is viewed as more pressing. The Wall Street Journal said the decision “signals that the Pentagon views North Korea as the larger immediate - and potentially more long-lasting - threat to the U.S. and its allies.”

The newspaper also quoted Defense Department officials as saying the deployment could help in encouraging other countries to speed up their purchase of the system.

During an Apr. 3 speech at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said, “They [North Korea] have nuclear capacity now. They have missile delivery capacity now.”

“Some of the actions they have taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger,” he continued.

Hagel also said he had discussed North Korea during a long telephone conversation the evening before with newly appointed Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan.

Hagel described the North Korea issue as a good example of a shared interest between the US and China, adding that neither side wanted the already complex and volatile situation to deteriorate further.

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