North Korea orders rockets on standby. Where does this leave Hawaii?

Here we go again. North Korea is having another fit of saber-rattling.

Today, North Korea put rockets on standby to attack U.S. bases in South Korea, and the Pacific after the U.S. flew two stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula. This comes after North Korea ordered its strategic rocket and long-range artillery units into a “class-A combat readiness” stance Tuesday, ready to fire towards South Korea, Hawaii, Guam and possibly the continental U.S.

The Pentagon had announced last week that it would expand our West Coast-based missile defense system, dedicating an additional $1 billion toward additional ground-based missile interceptors in California and Alaska.

Alaska and California are covered, but where does this leave Hawaii’s protection? Aren’t we a closer target to North Korea than California? Sure, we have the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, but Pacific Command representatives have told us their initiatives concentrate on testing and maintenance.

The answer? Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. James Miller states at a Pentagon address, “The Ground-Based Mid-Course Defense System provides coverage of not just the continental United States. . . but all of the United States.” In other words, those missile defense sites are also defending Hawaii and Guam.

It’s nice to know the Pentagon didn’t forget about us and it seems as if they have taken appropriate precautions.