Allies Look to Boost Tracking of North Korean Missiles
The Republic of Korea (ROK) and United States militaries want to bolster their combined tracking of North Korean missile launches, an effort that also may involve Japan, U.S. Space Force officials said in August 2023.
The allies see space integration as key to tracking North Korean threats and responding to a conflict.
The U.S. Space Force component in South Korea, which began operating in December 2022, has focused on enhanced integration and ensuring that U.S. troops stationed there have more access to space-based assets, the officials said.
Missile-tracking data, including from the U.S. Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), which can detect missile launches, is already shared with allies through early warning systems, said Master Sgt. Shawn Stafford of U.S. Space Forces Korea.
Japan and South Korea rely mostly on land- and sea-based radars to track launches. Adding space-based capabilities would provide an enhanced view of the threats, ROK Air Force Space Operation Squadron commander Lt. Col. Kim Jong Ha said.
Given the ROK military’s push to develop more anti-ballistic missile systems, gaining data from U.S. and possibly Japanese systems would help it detect targets, said Tal Inbar, a missile and space expert with Israel’s Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies.
“The whole region could gain a lot from cooperation and collaboration and interoperability of the systems,” he said.
Reuters
