Missile Tests

When is it time to dump an old friend who insists on behaving badly? The debate is raging in China. North Korea's latest nuclear test raises the question of just how long the bonds forged between old communist allies will endure. The test was conducted barely 50 miles from the Chinese border. The ground rumbled in northeast China, and some schools were evacuated because of fears of an earthquake. "It was quite shocking.

North Korea may be able to overcome technical difficulties and assemble a missile capable of hitting West Coast cities within three years, a top Defense Department official said Tuesday, but it is unlikely to be able to deliver a nuclear warhead in that time frame. The U.S. assessment came as North Korea's rulers show signs of preparing for additional weapons tests in the face of international condemnation and new United Nations sanctions.

North Korea's previous nuclear test and missile launches had a ring of foot-stamping about them, certainly a modest security threat, but also a demand that Washington pay the nation some attention. This time, its motives seem more complex, the international bravado blended with the mysteries of the secretive regime's internal politics.

The Defense Department conducted a successful test of its missile defense system Friday, taking out a dummy target with an interceptor strike over the Pacific Ocean, an exercise officials hope will build support for the controversial initiative within the incoming Obama administration. Military officials said the test showed for the first time that various radars and defense systems could be used together.

Iran announced new tests of short-range missiles Sunday, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed contentions that his nation's economy had been hurt by United Nations sanctions imposed over its uranium enrichment program. The missile tests come as the U.S. Navy is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. U.S. officials said the John C. Stennis, which is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East in a few weeks, was meant as a warning to Iran.

India said it successfully test-fired a missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Mideast. A test firing of the missile, the Agni III, had failed in July when the rocket plunged into the Bay of Bengal short of its target. India's current crop of missiles is mostly intended for confronting neighboring Pakistan. The Agni III, by contrast, is designed to reach 1,900 miles, putting China's major cities within range, as well as targets deep in the Middle East.

A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 747 carrying hundreds of passengers was forced to turn around over Indian airspace after a nuclear-capable ballistic missile streaked across the sky, the Foreign Ministry said. Indonesia has demanded an explanation from New Delhi, which insisted that aviation authorities were informed about Thursday's test launch well in advance.

The top U.S. military commander in South Korea today criticized last week's missile test launches by North Korea, saying the country remained a threat despite its recent moves toward dismantling its nuclear program. Gen. B.B. Bell told reporters in Seoul that he welcomed Pyongyang's efforts to live up to a February commitment to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, part of a program he called "extremely provocative."

Russia successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, a weapon intended to replace aging Soviet-era missiles. The RS-24 missile was launched from a facility in northern Russia and its test warheads successfully hit designated targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula about 4,340 miles to the east, a spokesman said. Officials would not say how many warheads the missile carried, but news reports said it could carry at least three.

Pakistan successfully test-fired a locally developed cruise missile that can carry a nuclear warhead and hit targets within a 310-mile range, the army said in a statement. The test at an undisclosed location in Pakistan was the second involving the Hatf VII cruise missile, also known as the Babur, the statement said. The previous firing was conducted in August on the 62nd birthday of President Pervez Musharraf.