Pacific Perspective:North Korea Tests New Threat to Allied Forces

On 11-12 September 2021,North Korea sucessfully tested a new long-range cruise missile.The missiles flew a figure 8 pattern and crashed into the sea after about a two-hour flight.The state news agency article appered on page 2 and included photos.Pyongyang claims the missiles can hit targets more than 930 miles away,putting US and South Korean troops well within range of the new weapon.North Korea is allowed to develop such jet-powered missiles by the UN,which only forbids the hostile regime of Kim Jong Un to conduct ballistic missile development. The missile has been in development for two years,and South Korea believes the story about it was credible.As for South Korea,it recently tested a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The North Korean cruise missile,which is possibly nuclear capable,was depicted launching from a truck.It could pose a complex threat to Allied Forces,enabling the North to conduct an attack on them from all directions with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as substantial artillery assets. The US has about 28,000 troops in South Korea and conducts periodic wargames with South Korean forces.