On Saturday, AlertsUSA subscribers were some of the first in the nation to learn of North Korea's launch of a long range missile in defiance of UN sanctions barring it from using ballistic missile technology. This particular launch, the first since 2012, successfully inserted an object into orbit after overflying Japan's southern Okinawa islands. Japan had previously warned it would shoot down the rocket if it entered their airspace, but did not do so. U.S. defense sources indicate, at least publically, that the object has managed to achieve stability in orbit but is not transmitting any signals.

Readers will recall that two weeks ago we warned the launch was imminent and that U.S. military forces and those of regional governments were on high alert. Between that time and the launch the U.S. moved a variety of missile defense and other conventional assets into the area in order to track and potentially respond to the event.

Why is any of this important to us here in America? Because Western governments believe these missile launches are intended to refine the ability to deliver nuclear weapons (which the North already has developed and repeatedly threatened to use) either to orbit, or as a standard intercontinental ballistic missile shot. Additionally, one of N. Koreas most faithful supporters and customers of their missile technologies as well as other capabilities is Iran. South Korean intelligence sources have previously reported Iranian engineers present at the N. Korean site during previous launches.

Fast forward to this week and tensions are spiking on the Peninsula. In a tense standoff that started with N. Korea's nuclear test last month, followed Saturday's long-range rocket launch, S. Korea has announced the closure of the Kaesong joint industrial park, the last major symbol of Korean cooperation, and has cut off water and power to border areas. N Korea has ejected all S. Korean workers, seized the companies' assets and vowed to militarize the park.

Perhaps most concerning is that communication hotlines between the two militaries have been cut. Late this week the U.S announced it had deployed at least one additional Patriot missile battery to S. Korea ahead of talks next week about deploying an American ballistic missile interceptor system known as THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) on the Korean Peninsula..

AlertsUSA continues to monitor ongoing developments in this region and will immediately notify service subscribers of changes in the overall threat picture as events warrant.