US Strategic Command tracked what it assessed to be a North Korean submarine missile launch Friday night. The launch of the presumed KN-11 ballistic missile occurred off the coast of Sinpo, North Korea, at 9:28 p.m. Central Daylight Time, and the missile was tracked over the Sea of Japan, where STRATCOM believes it fell, according to a release. NORAD determined the missile did not pose a threat to North America. The launch is the latest in a string of North Korean missile tests this year and occurred the day after the US and South Korean governments announced they agreed to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system on the Korean peninsula. On Monday, the North Korean military threatened a “physical response” to the deployment of THAAD, Reuters reported.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3