N. Korea's ICBM Can Reach U.S. Mainland - Time Running Out?
North Korea has finally created an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, including major cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and even Chicago.
Still, experts say that even if the ICBM reaches the U.S., at this point it probably wouldn't do serious damage.
Japanese footage of the North's latest test on Friday shows the missile's re-entry vehicle flew some 2,300 miles before crashing -- which is higher and longer than ever before.
"The biggest thing about this is that it actually had a re-entry vehicle on this one, and it was the exact size and shape that a nuclear warhead would be," CBN News National Security Correspondent Erik Rosales explained. "So that's what has members of the Pentagon so concerned."
U.S. and South Korean experts say the video suggests the missile failed due to extreme heat and pressure.
"In short, a reasonable conclusion based on the video evidence is that the Hwasong-14's re-entry vehicle did not survive during its second test," CBS News quoted Michael Elleman, an expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"If this assessment accurately reflects reality, North Korea's engineers have yet to master re-entry technologies and more work remains before Kim Jong Un has an ICBM capable of striking the American mainland," he concluded.
Still, Pentagon officials aren't taking North Korea's latest launch lightly as it's only a matter of time before the regime masters its missile re-entry capabilities -- one of the most critical military milestones the North has left.
U.S. Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley told CBN News' Rosales that if the U.S. decides to take a preemptive strike, it would be "deadly and catastrophic."
