North Korea on Saturday tested an intermediate range ballistic missile in one of the longest distance tests it has ever accomplished, the Pentagon said. At 5:55 p.m. Eastern time, North Korea launched a variant of its submarine-launched missile from a road near the northwestern city of Kusong, according to a US Strategic Command news release. The missile flew about 500 kilometers and went down in international waters in the Sea of Japan. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said Monday the US “strongly condemns” the launch, which is in violation of United Nations resolutions limiting the tests. The US determined shortly after launch that the missile did not pose a threat to North America or Japan, and the US’s commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea is “ironclad.” The Pentagon on Monday would not comment on possible future steps to demonstrate a show of force, such as F-22 or bomber flights to the Korean peninsula that took place after similar tests by North Korea.
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…