It’s all a smokescreen to hide how truly important the meeting was and the mindblowing info they don’t want the public to know about. ::nods sagely::
In further addition: These missiles are also in UK inventory, and we have certain responsiblities to provide routine test data to them - These tests are scheduled LONG in advance.
More to the point, if the Administration feels a need to lob a few cruise missiles, they can claim with a fairly straight face that they’ve ‘consulted with Congress.’
Actually, DPRK detonation estimate results range from 10KT to the 45KT range, raising the plausiblity of a weapon substantially larger than either of the WWII nukes.
More to the point, the USA wants to impress it’s domestic audience/taxpayers by cock waving military options it won’t ever use vs. NK.
This is China’s game - oil, aid, trade. Kim trolls the USA is all.
Which reminds me of this cartoon.
Slight correction: the missile being tested here is the land based, silo launched Minuteman III ICBM which Great Britain does not and has never possessed. Great Britain hosted the intermediate range PGM-17 ‘Thor’ missile system briefly in the late 'Fifties to early 'Sixties as a stopgap prior to the deployment of Atlas and Titan ICBMs (and later Titan II and the solid propellant Minuteman and Peacekeeper families) in the continental United States, but the British never controlled these. Britain did maintain a fleet of Resolution class ballistic missile submarines carrying the UGM-27 ‘Polaris A-3’ SLBM which were retired and replaced by Vanguard class submarines carrying the current UGM-133A ‘Trident II/D-5’ missiles supplied by special agreement with the US. The Trident is the basis of the US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile program which performs separate but equivalent T&E flights which is shared with the British Royal Navy deterrence program.
These tests are, as Tranquilis notes, planned and funded years in advance, and notification of planned tests is provided to not only strategic allies but also to other ‘interested parties’ in order to assure that they are not mistaken for operational launches of the active weapon system. They are not and have never been used as an ostensible show of force or in response to actions of another state, although obiovusly successful flights of the system demonstrates the readiness and reliability of the system which is a necessary aspect of deterrence strategy. Whether you equivalence it with North Korea’s action or not, it is not intended as provocation.
Stranger
Thank you. 
Eek! Wrong thread. Sorry.
The US is ALWAYS at war somewhere. Right now, it is illegally occupying territory in Syria, a UN member and bombing its army. It is also occupying territory and setting up bases in Iraq. Again. Of course it is still dropping bombs on Somalia and refueling Saudi planes bombing the hell out of Yemen. And Afghanistan, of course. And what is so amazing about all this is US Americans regard all this as perfectly NORMAL . On the other hand, if China sails its COAST GUARD ships around the South CHINA Sea, Washington goes batshit. And what are those damn Iranians doing in the Persian Gulf, anyway. Then there was the fictitious county that 30% of Trump supporters agree should be bombed. No lie; look it up. This is just for starters. This is 50% of your tax dollars at work. Sigh!
The US has yet to produce a generation without finding a war for it.
The DoD is absolutely loath to promote soldiers with out “Actual Combat Experience”.
Once it had enough bodies run through Iraq I, the old Vietnam survivors became expendable.
Including my BIL - who, to this day, blames the Commander-in-Chief for the loss - imagine not being allowed to bomb hospitals! The “bomb them back to the stone age” mantra really did have its fans.
The ones that lived seem to have based Trumpcare on that very principal.
A few thoughts:
A) My initial thoughts were the same as Race_to_the_Bottom posted, 69 responses later. [I get ninja’d a lot because I try to read the whole threads before posting something redundant.]
B) Stranger, your military/political knowledge is quite impressive and much appreciated. You’re an ROTC professor* or something#?
C)
Well, that’s nothing new. (Okay, that’s a cheap shot – which, from me, is nothing new.) Seriously though, in the redundant/nothing new category: I’ve been seeing this crap from NK for a few decades now. I wonder if current Kim just didn’t learn the game% properly from his Dad and Gramps: 1. Move a few troops around to make it look like you’re preparing to rush the DMZ or planning to somehow reunify the peninsula, 2. make the international community nervous enough to try to placate you and get them to agree to send food and other support for you to distribute amongst your [Del]top brass[/Del] constituents, 3. Back off, 4. When the international deal nears its expiration, start rattling sabres again. This happened with Bush I and Clinton. It happened with Russia during Reagan’s decade (which is how the Kims probably learned it); seems like the deal is about ready to expire.
–G!
- Like Harry Tasker or Jack Ryan
Like Tom Clancy
% The behavior reminds me very much of a terrible two-year-old making trouble until someone feeds him. He learns to be quiet until he’s hungry again.
I think the technical term is “Steely Eyed Missile Man”.