US Strategic Command tracked what it assessed to be a North Korean submarine missile launch Friday night. The launch of the presumed KN-11 ballistic missile occurred off the coast of Sinpo, North Korea, at 9:28 p.m. Central Daylight Time, and the missile was tracked over the Sea of Japan, where STRATCOM believes it fell, according to a release. NORAD determined the missile did not pose a threat to North America. The launch is the latest in a string of North Korean missile tests this year and occurred the day after the US and South Korean governments announced they agreed to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system on the Korean peninsula. On Monday, the North Korean military threatened a “physical response” to the deployment of THAAD, Reuters reported.
Air Force leaders are directing unit commanders to conduct four “standards and readiness reviews” of their troops per year starting March 31, part of a recent push for new standards and enforcement.