WASHINGTON – The US has approved a $133.3 million sale of anti-ballisticmissiles to Japan to defend itself against what Washington says is agrowing nuclear and missile threat from North Korea, a State Departmentofficial says.
The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress of the matter, asking itto approve the sale of the four missiles for the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor.
The official told Fox News that “also included are four Mk 29 missilecanisters, and other technical, engineering and logistics support services.”This Nov. 29, 2017, file image provided by the North Korean governmentshows what the North Korean government calls the Hwasong-15intercontinental ballistic missile, at an undisclosed location in NorthKorea. (Photo by AP)
The sale of the missiles follows through “on President Trump’s commitmentto provide additional defensive capabilities to treaty allies threatened bythe DPRK’s provocative behavior,” the official noted.
The proposed sale, if concluded, would contribute to the US “foreign policyand national security interests,” the officials said.
“It will bolster the security of a major treaty ally that has been, andcontinues to be, a force for political stability and economic progress inthe Asia-Pacific region. It will also improve (Japan Maritime Self-DefenseForce’s) interoperability with US missile defense systems, and increase theprotection for US installations in the region.”
The missiles, made by Raytheon Co and BAE Systems, can be launched fromdestroyers at sea or from a land-based system.
In December, Japan formally decided to expand its ballistic missile systemusing US-made ground-based Aegis radar stations and interceptors.
The cost of building two Aegis Ashore batteries without the missiles wouldbe at least $2 billion and it was not likely to be operational until 2023at the earliest, sources familiar with the plan told Reuters in December.
In a phone call on Monday, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis andJapanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera “condemned North Korea’sreckless and unlawful behavior,” according to a Pentagon statement.