Michigan Rep Says We Need To Take N. Korean Threats Seriously
DETROIT (WWJ) - Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, took to the Sunday morning talk shows to address the growing nuclear threat in North Korea. Rogers appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" program.
"The sheer threat - that they would openly threaten a nuclear attack against the United States is problem enough - but their military movements along the DMZ (demilitarized zone) in North Korea is a whole new set of problems for us," said Rogers."It's the largest military in the world still in uniform."
North Korea has threatened a possible nuclear "first strike" against the United States. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says 14 more missile interceptors -- bringing the total to 44 -- will be in place along the U.S. West Coast by 2017 to guard against a possible North Korean attack.
"This is something we have to take seriously, and you can see that they are looking for some provocation - not just along the border but on the islands. This is very concerning because we just don't know the stability of their leader," said Rogers.
"You've got a 28-year old leader, who is trying to prove himself to the military, and the military eager to have a saber-rattling for their own self-interest and the combination of that is proving to be very deadly."
Tensions in the region have escalated since December, when North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket under what the U.S. and other Western nations say was the guise of putting a satellite into orbit.
