DOD stresses importance of enhancing missile defense after North Korea launch

The Pentagon is continuing to enhance its ability to defend against missile threats from North Korea, Defense Department spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said Monday, a day after a series of North Korean missile launches that landed in the Sea of Japan.

"We stand with our allies in the face of this very serious threat," Davis said. "We're taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as the deployment of a [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] battery to South Korea, which, as we've said before, will happen as soon as feasible."

On Sunday, the United States detected and tracked "multiple missile launches" from North Korea. Four of those missiles splashed in the Sea of Japan, inside of Japan's exclusive economic zone, Davis said, declining to comment on the number of missile launches.

Davis said the Pentagon assessed that the missiles were medium-range ballistic missiles and flew about 1,000 km, adding that this launch was "very similar in terms of the path and the distance of the three missiles" that landed near Japan in September 2016.

This launch coincided with the start of an annual defensive exercise between the United States and the Republic of Korea. Davis said the timing is "consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior, often timed to military exercises that we do with our ally."

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not yet spoken to his counterparts in Japan or Korea following the launch, Davis said, noting that officials from the nations, however, have multiple levels of communication.