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NORTH KOREA MIGHT FIRE MISSILE AT HAWAII JULY 4 (Maj. General Curry resides in DC/Eastern Time.)
North Korea might launch a missile at Hawaii on July 4, 2009, according to Japanese intelligence officials. (See Daily Mail/London article below.), three years to the day they launched their first Taepodong-2 missile on July 4, 2006.
With the finger on North Korea's volatile nuclear arsenal shifting from an erratic dictator who is partially recovered from a stroke, to someone who is half the age of President Obama, here’s the big question:
Is this nuclear bluster simply the birth pangs of a dictatorship transition from Kim Jong Il to his 26-year-old son, Kim Jong-un? Or is this a real threat? According to the Washington Post, Kim Jr is a youth with a reputation as a heavy drinker. If this is true, to what degree could the well being of Hawaiian citizens hang in the balance of a hangover?
Perhaps they can take comfort in knowing that experts say the missile only has a 4000 mile range, a tad bid shy of reaching Hawaii, 4500 miles away from the North Korean launch pad.
Ah, not so fast. Wasn’t it these same experts who didn’t even know Pakistan (or was it India?) had a nuclear bomb until after their test detonation? So, how do we know these ‘experts’ are accurate in their math? After all, if their margin of error is only off 10%, that’s enough to reach Hawaii. Or if the North Koreans have recently tweaked their missile, unbeknownst to US, their new improved model might just make it.
US Major General Jerry Curry (ret.) is your expert to discuss this potential powder keg in North Korea. Jerry enlisted in the US Army in 1951 at age 17, when the US was fighting, what foolishly is called the "Forgotten War." What many people have forgotten is that it was a DEMOCRAT President who called on the United Nations to deploy armies to thwart North Korea's invasion of South Korea at a time when the world was already war weary from World War 2.
General Curry's career ascended from Korea through Viet Nam to being Special Assistant to President Reagan’s Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, whose final book, "The Next War" predicted a scenario in which North Korea would resume aggression against South Korea, providing a diversion which would invite China to move against US ally, Taiwan.
General Curry opposed General Colin Powell's endorsement of candidate Barack Obama, questioning his capacity to lead as Commander-in-Chief.
Curry contends we know that "The Truman Doctrine" and "The Bush Doctrine" claimed a simple truth: That the US would commit its military force to combat any armed aggression against the US and its international interests, but "The Obama Doctrine" appears to be: "Let's Talk it Over,” with North Korea, a charter member of the "Axis of Evil.”
A few weeks ago North Korea said it would no longer recognize the armistice which halted combat in the Korean War, effectively declaring itself at war again with South Korea, exacerbated by its six missile launches and nuclear tests in violation of its obligations under the six nation talks.
What does this all mean to US? And what might we expect to see come of the new transition of power? Interview General Curry to hear what he has to say.
ABOUT MAJOR GENERAL JERRY CURRY…
Major Gen. Jerry R. Curry (US Army Ret.) Ph.D. is a decorated combat veteran, Army Aviator, Paratrooper and Ranger who has served his country both in the military and as a Presidential appointee in three administrations. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Carter Administration, as Press Secretary to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger in the Reagan Administration, and as Administrator of NHTSA for President George H. W. Bush.
A munitions expert, General Curry was the top ranking officer overseeing all equipment at the Military Proving Ground at Aberdeen, Maryland.
But Jerry Curry was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Far from it, Jerry was a steel mill worker from the small town of Liberty, Pennsylvania who enlisted in the Army as a young private and rose to the rank of major general, a feat almost unheard of.
His recent book, From Private to General – An African American Soldier Rises Through the Ranks (Believe Books, 2007), is a gritty true-life story of an African American soldier determined to succeed in a white-dominated military culture, facing the barriers of racism and elitism without compromising his values or becoming a victim. He rose through the ranks by distinguishing himself in intense challenges of combat and in military command assignments and by surviving the political infighting that is endemic in the military.
Curry shares fresh insights on America’s role in Vietnam, achieving racial harmony, challenges in the military, leadership principles and America’s role in the world today. His insights into politics and military strategy are particularly relevant to the current situation in Iraq and the lessons in leadership that he presents are of timeless benefit. His descriptions of combat in Vietnam are particularly fascinating.
Gen. Curry on CNN:
http://www.special-guests.com/guests/data/video/Curry Jerry CNN inteview 07-25-08.mov
MAJ. GENERAL JERRY CURRY’S AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Korea
Vietnam
Military issues
National Security
Racism in politics and the military
The role of America in the world today
Terrorism – the very real threat to America
Leadership in the military and political arenas
SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR MILITARY/POLITICAL EXPERT MAJ. GENERAL JERRY CURRY:
1) How serious is the nuclear threat from North Korea? Same question regarding Iran & Pakistan?
2) What do we know about the new 26-year-old No. Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un?
3) Is it true the North Korean nuclear missiles can reach Alaska, and soon Calif.?
4) Since we haven’t had a serious terror attack on American soil since 2001, just how serious is the terrorist threat to American today? (General Curry has experienced terrorism first hand as a target for assassination during his distinguished military career.)
5) What should we expect from our leadership on Capitol Hill and the White House in protecting America from terrorism?
6) How ready are we to deal with a massive terror attack?
7) How much like Vietnam is the current Afghanistan/Pakistan conflict? Will America ever be able to ‘win’ this current quagmire?
8) What is the role of politicians and what is the role of the military leadership in bringing the Iraq, Afghanistan and Korean wars to a conclusion?
9) What looming threats do we face as a nation?
10) Tell us a little bit about your book, “From Private to General”?
11) How may our listeners get a copy of your book?
12) Is there anything else I missed that you would like to address?
THE DAILY MAIL/ LONDON, June 18, 2009
Japan warns that North Korea may fire missile at U.S. on Independence Day
By Mail Foreign Service
North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials.
The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles, would be launched in early July from the Dongchang-ni site on the north-western coast of the secretive country.
Intelligence analysts do not believe the device would be capable of hitting Hawaii's main islands, which are 4,500 miles from North Korea.
Details of the launch came from the Japan's best-selling newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun.
Both Japanese intelligence and U.S. reconnaissance satellites have collated information pointing to the launch, according to the report.
This is North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile which has a range of 4,000 miles. Intelligence analysts do not believe it would be capable of hitting Hawaii which is 4,500 miles away
It is understood the communist state is likely to fire the missile between July 4 and 8. A launch on July 4 would coincide with Independence Day in the States.It would also be the 15th anniversary of North Korean president Kim Il-Sung's death.
The Japanese newspaper also noted that North Korea had fired its first Taepodong-2 missile on July 4, 2006.
Officials had initially believed that North Korea might attempt to launch a similar device towards either Japan's Okinawa island, Guam or Hawaii.
But the ministry concluded launches toward Okinawa or Guam were 'extremely unlikely' because the first-stage booster could drop into waters off China, agitating Beijing, or hit western Japanese territory.
If the missile were fired in the direction of Hawaii, the booster could drop in the Sea of Japan.
News of the launch would put 'enormous military pressure on the United States,' the Yomiuri said, citing the ministry report.
A spokesman for the Japanese Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report.
South Korea's Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service - the country's main spy agency - said they could not confirm it.
Tension on the divided Korean peninsula has risen markedly since the North, led by Kim Jong-il, conducted two nuclear tests this year in defiance of repeated international warnings.
The first rocket, fired in April, was widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test. A second launch came on May 25.
U.S. satellite intelligence has shown that a missile launch pad had been erected at Dongchang-ri on North Korea's north-west coast.
General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it would take at least three to five years for North Korea to pose a real threat to the U.S. west coast.
The UN Security Council last week authorised member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo, requiring them to seize and destroy goods shipped that violate the sanctions against arms export.
On Saturday, in response to this declaration Pyongyang said it would bolster its nuclear programs and threatened war.
Growing tensions come as arms-watchdog the International Crisis Group (ICG) claimed North Korea has several thousand tonnes of chemical weapons it could mount on missiles.
The report from the non-government organisation said they believed the North's army have about 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons which include mustard gas, sarin and other deadly nerve agents.
ICG also also warned South Korea may become a target.
'If there is an escalation of conflict and if military hostilities break out, there is a risk that they could be used. In conventional terms, North Korea is weak and they feel they might have to resort to using those,' said Daniel Pinkston, the ICG's representative in Seoul.
The North has been working on chemical weapons for decades and can deliver them through long-range artillery directed on Seoul which is home to about half of South Korea's 49 million people and via missiles that could hit all of the country.
© 2009 Associated Newspapers Ltd
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