U.S military launches, intercepts and shoots down ‘mock’ intercontinental ballistic missile

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that it had successfully launched a mock-up intercontinental ballistic missile, and as a strong warning to North Korea, intercepted the ICBM, and shot it down into the Pacific Ocean.
The Missile Defense Agency launched a ground-based interceptor from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to intercept a US-launched mock ICBM target over the Pacific Ocean, and this is good news for America’s military who have spent $40 billion since 2002 in developing it’s anti missile defense capabilities.

“The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment and a critical milestone for this program,” said MDA Director Vice Adm. Jim Syring.

“This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat,”

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week; “North Korea is an increasingly grave national security threat to the United States because of its growing missile and nuclear capabilities combined with the aggressive approach of its leader Kim Jong Un. Kim is attempting to prove that he has the capability to strike the US mainland with a nuclear weapon.”
Speaking to CNN, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said;

“Much work remains to be done to ensure we have a reliable and effective system.”

“After an investment of more than $40 billion since 2002, it’s good that the Missile Defense Agency is finally doing a missile defense test against an ICBM target, some 13 years after the first Ground-Based Interceptor system’s deployment,”

“Flight intercept testing, particularly against realistic targets, remains a key element of the program to assess the effectiveness of our deployed missile defense system, as well as to demonstrate the capability and continue the development of such a system,”

The Pentagon’s mock missile launch and interception comes just days after North Korea tested a missile, a move the South Korean, Japanese and U.S governments gravely criticized.