SINGAPORE, June 11. /TASS/. The United States, jointly with Japan and South Korea, are ready to restrain North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.
"As our National Defense Strategy notes, we all face a persistent threat from North Korea. The United States will always stand ready to deter aggression…," Austin stated speaking at the Asian defense summit Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
"North Korea’s habitual provocations and missile tests only underscore the urgency of our task," he continued. "And so we’re deepening the security cooperation among the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea."
"Together, we’ll continue to strengthen our extended deterrence against nuclear arms and ballistic-missile systems," Lloyd added.
North Korea reportedly carried out over 10 missile test-launches since the start of the year. The latest was reported on June 5.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that day that North Korea test-fired a total of eight short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan.
North Korea missile test launches
On September 28, 2021 and on January 11, 2022, North Korea launched hypersonic missiles and on March 24, 2022, it launched the Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile. According to experts, these launches show that North Korea has managed to significantly enhance its missile systems.
Meanwhile, some experts believe that the statements by the North Korean authorities on successful tests of hypersonic weapons are a political move, noting that not all objects that fly at a speed beyond Mach 5 can be called hypersonic.