WMAL Interview - BRUCE KLINGNER - 04.27.17

INTERVIEW – BRUCE KLINGNER – Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia, Heritage Foundation, specializes in Korean and Japanese affairs.

Klingner’s analysis and writing about North Korea, South Korea and Japan, as well as related issues, are informed by his 20 years of service at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
North Korean threat to Hawaii is real now, commander says. (MSN) – WASHINGTON — The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday. “Kim Jong Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “I have suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that … defend (it) directly, and that we look at a defensive Hawaii radar.”
Senators describe ‘long and detailed’ White House briefing on North Korea. (ABC News) –  Several Senate Republicans described the full Senate briefing on North Korea at the White House Wednesday as a thorough accounting of the administration’s diplomatic and military options when it comes to dealing with Kim Jong Un. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called it “a long and detailed briefing.” “The military is obviously planning for a number of options, as they should — minimal military action to more significant action,” Cruz said. “It’s of course the hope of the administration and Congress that military action isn’t necessary. If there’s a clear and imminent threat to the U.S., our military needs to be prepared to act and I believe they are prepared to act to keep our country safe.” The senators were invited at the personal invitation of President Donald Trump after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, requested a briefing. The president stopped by the briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, said that one takeaway from the meeting was that “we are a long ways away from exercising all of our options on the diplomatic side.” “There were great questions within the briefing from both sides of the aisles,” Gardner said. “It shows how important this issue is, to have that team assembled to talk about this and make sure North Korea knows they won’t get away with this.”