Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed confidence on Tuesday that the United States could shoot down any North Korean missile fired toward America.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. [file]
Photo: AP
Gates told US lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday that the US would have a "high probability of being able to defend ourselves" if the North fired a long-range missile.
He said that US missile interceptors "are fully adequate to protect us from the North Korean threat for a number of years."
He added that if the North Korean "threat" should change, the United States could easily expand its missile interceptor force.
North Korea has announced that it tested a nuclear device and is apparently assembling for a long-range missile test.
