WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is working with allies Japan and South Korea to increase ballistic missile defense on the Korean Peninsula, US Pacific Command Commander Samuel Locklear said on Thursday.
Locklear said during a Senate Armed Services hearing:
“We have been in discussions about potential deployment of an addition THAAD [Terminal High-altitude Area Defense] battery, beyond the one that’s in Guam, but on the Korean Peninsula.”
Last week, US State Department official Frank Rose denied reports that the United States was discussing a THAAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula with its Asia-Pacific allies.
The United States continues strong collaboration with Japan and South Korea in enhancing their ballistic missile defense capabilities.
The US alleges that the missile defense buildup in the Pacific is a response to ballistic missile threats from North Korea.
Questioned whether North Korea was capable of a road mobile nuclear missile, Locklear explained that “we have not seen it effectively tested,” but the United States must still be prepared to defend the homeland from a road mobile nuclear missile.
China and Russia have expressed concerns that deploying US missile defense systems in the Pacific threatens their security. China specifically objected that the BMD systems could jeopardize its strategic deterrent.
