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Evidently the pot sticker has mounted his war steed...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/03/north-korea-readies-nuclear-weapons/81284690/
North Korean leader wants nukes ready to fly
Donna Leinwand Leger and Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 7:16 p.m. EST March 3, 2016
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered nuclear weapons to be readied for use, the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.
The shift in military posture would allow North Korea to carry out pre-emptive attacks, and deprive "the enemies to sleep in peace till the moment they meet their final end in their land, KCNA reported, citing a speech by the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
KCNA continued: "The only way for defending the sovereignty of our nation and its right to existence under the present extreme situation is to bolster up nuclear force both in quality and quantity and keep balance of forces, he said, stressing the need to get the nuclear warheads deployed for national defense always on standby so as to be fired any moment."
The move, announced in an article about missile tests, follows the U.N. Security Council's unanimous approval Wednesday of tough new sanctions against North Korea in response to its recent nuclear and missile tests. The resolution contains the toughest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades, Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The sanctions require North Korean cargo ships and aircraft to be inspected before entering and after leaving the reclusive country. They would also prohibit small arms and other conventional weapons sales to North Korea.
The Pentagon said it is aware of the reports and closely monitoring the situation in coordination with regional allies.
"We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments," the Pentagon said in a statement.
KCNA, in its typically dramatic language, called the sanctions a flagrant effort by the "U.S. imperialists and their followers" to impose "gangster-like" economic and political pressure and military aggression on North Korea for its defensive actions and sovereign right to launch an earth-observation satellite.
"All the people in the DPRK are now waiting for an order of combat to annihilate the enemy with their surging wrath at the U.S. imperialists and south Korea's Park Geun Hye group of traitors," the agency said.
Just hours after the Security Council resolution passed, North Korea fired several short-range projectiles into the sea, according to the South Korean defense ministry.
The extent of North Korea's nuclear arsenal is unknown. The nation claimed in January that it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb at a test site, but third-party experts and U.S. leaders expressed doubts.
North Korea claims to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at the time that initial analysis by U.S. intelligence agencies was “not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.” Seismic activity was consistent with some kind of atomic detonation, however.
The United States is building a network of ground-based missile interceptors designed to counter a threat from countries such as North Korea. The Pentagon said it is on track to have 44 such interceptors ready by the end of next year. Some are already on line.
Contributing: Jim Michaels
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/03/north-korea-readies-nuclear-weapons/81284690/
North Korean leader wants nukes ready to fly
Donna Leinwand Leger and Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 7:16 p.m. EST March 3, 2016
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered nuclear weapons to be readied for use, the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.
The shift in military posture would allow North Korea to carry out pre-emptive attacks, and deprive "the enemies to sleep in peace till the moment they meet their final end in their land, KCNA reported, citing a speech by the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
KCNA continued: "The only way for defending the sovereignty of our nation and its right to existence under the present extreme situation is to bolster up nuclear force both in quality and quantity and keep balance of forces, he said, stressing the need to get the nuclear warheads deployed for national defense always on standby so as to be fired any moment."
The move, announced in an article about missile tests, follows the U.N. Security Council's unanimous approval Wednesday of tough new sanctions against North Korea in response to its recent nuclear and missile tests. The resolution contains the toughest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades, Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The sanctions require North Korean cargo ships and aircraft to be inspected before entering and after leaving the reclusive country. They would also prohibit small arms and other conventional weapons sales to North Korea.
The Pentagon said it is aware of the reports and closely monitoring the situation in coordination with regional allies.
"We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments," the Pentagon said in a statement.
KCNA, in its typically dramatic language, called the sanctions a flagrant effort by the "U.S. imperialists and their followers" to impose "gangster-like" economic and political pressure and military aggression on North Korea for its defensive actions and sovereign right to launch an earth-observation satellite.
"All the people in the DPRK are now waiting for an order of combat to annihilate the enemy with their surging wrath at the U.S. imperialists and south Korea's Park Geun Hye group of traitors," the agency said.
Just hours after the Security Council resolution passed, North Korea fired several short-range projectiles into the sea, according to the South Korean defense ministry.
The extent of North Korea's nuclear arsenal is unknown. The nation claimed in January that it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb at a test site, but third-party experts and U.S. leaders expressed doubts.
North Korea claims to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at the time that initial analysis by U.S. intelligence agencies was “not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.” Seismic activity was consistent with some kind of atomic detonation, however.
The United States is building a network of ground-based missile interceptors designed to counter a threat from countries such as North Korea. The Pentagon said it is on track to have 44 such interceptors ready by the end of next year. Some are already on line.
Contributing: Jim Michaels
