U.S. gets closer to neutralizing North Korean missile threat

The Pentagon successfully tested a defense system against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on Tuesday, taking a step toward neutralizing the North Korean threat. The interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and collided outside the Earth’s atmosphere with a test missile fired from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Despite Tuesday’s success, U.S. defense systems don’t have a good track record against ICBMs. Only 9 of 17 similar tests conducted since 1999 have successfully taken out the test missile. And the tests aren’t cheap. Tuesday’s display cost about $244 million. Critics blast the expense and the lack of consistent success as proof the program isn’t worth pursuing. But analysts warn it’s only a matter of time before North Korea has an ICBM that can reach the U.S. mainland—possibly carrying a nuclear warhead.