I've mentioned that it is completely unclear to me if North Korea has nuclear weapons:
By the time this is published we may know whether Kim Jong Un's health issue is fatal or not. But the article says North Korea has nuclear weapons. But I still don't know if we know that. North Korea can certainly detonate nuclear devices at test facilities. They certainly have enough nuclear material for dozens of warheads. They may even likely have functioning nuclear warheads or bombs. But do they have nuclear weapons? That is, do they have functioning warheads or bombs carried by functioning delivery systems? That I do not know.
Oh, there are lots of stories on missile tests, nuclear tests, extrapolations of how many nuclear warheads they could have with the amount of nuclear material we think they have, and even just artillery tests into the ocean blown way out of proportion.
Yes, they have missiles and planes. And they have nuclear devices that they can explode with thousands of scientists and technicians preparing it. But do they have weapons? Strategypage writes:
At the moment North Korea has some long-range ballistic missiles that could, if they were reliable enough, be considered ICBMs. But tests of these missiles, which cannot be hidden, have mostly been disappointing. Same with the nuclear weapons development. The weapons developed so far generate a large explosion but apparently not a reliable one nor a weapon designed to survive the rigors of an ICBM launch.
So they don't have ICBMs. Which is good because those are what can reach across the Pacific where few of our missile defenses can shoot down ICBMs.
That still leaves open the possibility that they have shorter-range nuclear missiles or gravity bombs.
These of course are vulnerable to being shot down by proven missile defense units and fighters or air defense units.
But do they have even these nuclear weapons? I recently read that Japan deactivated one of its shore-based missile defense units. Why? Unless North Korea has nuclear bluster so far and not much more?
I just don't read anything with any clarity on this issue. Why is that?
