‘Upped the ante’: North Korean ICBM launch prompts fears of escalation

‘Upped the ante’: North Korean ICBM launch prompts fears of escalation
‘Upped the ante’: North Korean ICBM launch prompts fears of escalation

“The question is,” asks Jenny Town of the Stimson Center, “how to step down from this ledge before an accident escalates into something much more dangerous?”

New North Korea ICBM Looks Bigger, But…

New North Korea ICBM Looks Bigger, But…
New North Korea ICBM Looks Bigger, But…

This new missile — if it’s real — does not change the current threat or defense calculus.

Houthi Missiles: The Iran Connection; Scuds Are Not Dead Yet

Houthi Missiles: The Iran Connection; Scuds Are Not Dead Yet
Houthi Missiles: The Iran Connection; Scuds Are Not Dead Yet

Figure 1: Launch of a Yemeni Burkan 2-H missile on December 19th 2017. DEN HELDER, Netherlands: The Saudi and US governments have accused Iran of manufacturing ballistic missile used in attacks by Houthis against targets in Saudi Arabia. The longest-ranged flights reached Riyadh, a distance of roughly 950 km, with a missile called the Burkan 2-H…

What Really Mattered In 2017 (Our Top 10 List)

What Really Mattered In 2017 (Our Top 10 List)
What Really Mattered In 2017 (Our Top 10 List)

This is a list of the most important stories and opinion pieces we ran at Breaking Defense in 2017. It’s a bit like our coverage: freewheeling, often unexpected and, hopefully, poking at the spots where policymakers in the US, NATO, Australia, Japan, South Korea and our other treaty allies and partners need to look. We…

Iran’s New Missile A Tweak, Not A Breakthrough

Iran’s New Missile A Tweak, Not A Breakthrough
Iran’s New Missile A Tweak, Not A Breakthrough

Apparently following North Korea’s playbook for getting under the skin of President Trump, Iran wheeled a new missile, named the Khorramshahr, through Tehran during a parade last week on Friday, held to commemorate the 1980 start of the Iran-Iraq war. A few hours later, Iran published a video of a launch, see Figure 1 for…

Was North Korea’s July 4th Surprise A Mobile Launched ICBM?

Was North Korea’s July 4th Surprise A Mobile Launched ICBM?
Was North Korea’s July 4th Surprise A Mobile Launched ICBM?

Did North Korea really launch an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on the Fourth of July, as many in the US government and the North Koreans say? A pair of missile defense experts examine the facts and draw their own conclusions. Read on! The Editor. Among the fireworks of the Fourth of July came an unwelcome surprise:…

This Is Not The ICBM You Are Looking For; Detailed Analysis Of North Korean Missile

This Is Not The ICBM You Are Looking For; Detailed Analysis Of North Korean Missile
This Is Not The ICBM You Are Looking For; Detailed Analysis Of North Korean Missile

North Koreans are showmen: large 16-wheeled off-road trucks carrying missiles through the streets of Pyongyang are all about showing the ‘American Bastards’ that North Korea has credible road-mobile ICBMs. The ‘Young General,’ as Kim Jong-Un likes to style himself, has even claimed those ICBMs can threaten San Diego, Texas and Washington DC. American leaders have…