Bush Says U.S. Antimissile System Might Have Been Effective Against North Korean Launch

U.S. President George W. Bush said he believed the fledgling U.S. missile defense system might have been able to intercept a North Korean long-range Taepodong 2 missile had it approached U.S. territory last week, the New York Times reported Saturday (see GSN, July 6).

“I think we had a reasonable chance of shooting it down; at least that’s what the military commander has told me,” Bush said.

He said the North Korean launch emphasized the importance of the antiballistic missile system. Bush added, however, that the system’s capabilities remain “modest” and that it was “hard for me to give you a probability of success” (David Sanger, New York Times, July 8).

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