WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States placed its interceptor missiles in Alaska and California on alert for the long-range North Korean missile that failed less than a minute after being launched, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.The launch of Pyongyang's intercontinental Taepodong 2 missile, and at least five shorter-range missiles, marked the first time the fledgling U.S. anti-missile shield has been officially reported to have been primed in response to a specific event. The U.S. Northern Command, which operates the interceptors in Alaska and California as part of its homeland defense mission, said it was "able to determine quickly the missiles posed no threat to (the) United States or its territories."
| "We're waiting, little man." |
The shield, while still being tested, has been made "operational" many times since the end of 2004 but is never known to have been activated in response to a perceived threat. In the case of the Taepodong 2, which fell harmlessly into the Sea of Japan about 40 seconds after launch, there was "far too little time to make a decision on whether to shoot it down," said Victoria Samson, an expert on missile defense at the private Center for Defense Information.