Latest news with #nuclearWar
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump's Golden Dome risks nuclear war in space, warns North Korea
Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defence plan risks starting a nuclear war in space, North Korea has warned. Announced last week, the $175 billion (£147 billion) proposal aims to create a network of satellites by 2029 that will detect, track and shoot down any missiles fired at the US. However, Pyongyang attacked the US president's futuristic project in a long memorandum on Tuesday morning, in which it said the scheme could turn outer space into a ' potential nuclear war field '. Golden Dome is a 'very dangerous initiative aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states', the North Korean foreign ministry said. It went on to accuse the US of being 'hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space' and said the project was the latest evidence of the Washington's 'self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice'. The memo also attacked America's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 7, a robotic space plane manufactured by Boeing and operated in part by the United States Space Force. The craft was another example of Washington's moves 'moves to militarise space' and compared the threat of the X-37B to that of nuclear weapons, it said. The Golden Dome project has been criticised as destabilising and as potential trigger for an arms race, as other powers could desire their own extensive space weapons system or try to build more missiles to overcome the US's space shield. Mr Trump has not responded to Pyongyang's concerns, but experts say that the strong reaction likely implies that Pyongyang sees the project as a serious threat. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said that if the US was successfully able to complete this system, North Korea would then 'be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it'. The robust response came after Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, last week suffered a rare moment of public embarrassment when a brand new warship sank in front of what was likely a large crowd during a botched launch. Kim said that the accident 'brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse' and at least four officials have since been arrested in relation to the event. A week earlier, North Korea was stressing its martial readiness, with Kim asserting that the most crucial task for his country's armed forces was to make 'full preparations for war'. South Korea has increased its number of joint military exercises with Washington in recent years and has publicised the presence of US assets, such as a nuclear-powered submarine, in an effort to deter aggression from Pyongyang.
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
North Korea Says US Missile Shield Plans Risk ‘Nuclear War' in Space
North Korea slammed on Tuesday US President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it "very important for the success and even survival of our country". The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the "very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states". The United States is "hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space," the foreign ministry said. "The US plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning... outer space into a potential nuclear war field," it added. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump's "Golden Dome" as a threat. "The North's strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its ICBMs," he said. "If the US completes its new missile defense program, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he added. - China, Russia modernizing weapons - China has also expressed strong concerns about Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining global stability. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernizing its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review. The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilizing. The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
North Korea says US missile shield plans risk 'nuclear war' in space
North Korea slammed on Tuesday US President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it "very important for the success and even survival of our country". The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the "very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states". The United States is "hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space," the foreign ministry said. "The US plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning... outer space into a potential nuclear war field," it added. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump's "Golden Dome" as a threat. "The North's strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its ICBMs," he said. "If the US completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he added. - China, Russia modernising weapons - China has also expressed strong concerns about Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining global stability. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review. The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilising. The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.
