“Based on its testing record, we cannot rely upon this missile defense program to protect the United States from a North Korean long-range missile,” said Philip E. Coyle of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “In several ways, this test was a $244 million dollar baby step, a baby step that took three years.”
The test ICBM flew slower than an actual ICBM from North Korea would travel, making it easier to track and hit, while the closure rate between the target and the interceptor also was slower than an intercept would be between a North Korean ICBM and a U.S. interceptor, Coyle said.
