US working to improve early warning system against N. Korean missile launches: US commander

Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, is seen speaking in a webinar hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, a nonpartisan research organization based in Washington, Nov. 29. Yonhap

The United States is working to further improve its missile warning system, the commander of U.S. Space Command said Tuesday, following a barrage of North Korean missile tests that included multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches.

"We are looking at how we integrate a sensor architecture that gives us as much warning as possible in terms of any type of missile activity out of North Korea," Gen. James Dickinson said in a webinar hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, a Washington-based research organization.

Dickinson said the Space Command is currently working to integrate existing U.S. assets into "an architecture where we can provide both the United States and our allies and partners as much advanced warning as possible," adding, "We are also looking at how we can incorporate commercial sensors in the same respect."

His remarks come after a recent series of North Korean missile launches.

Pyongyang fired over 30 ballistic missiles since late September, also conducting its 10th ICBM test of the year on Nov. 18.

Since the start of the year, the North launched an annual record of 63 ballistic missiles, far exceeding the previous record of 25 in 2019.

The U.S. Space Force established its first regional component command at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command last week, a move apparently aimed at enhancing the U.S.' missile defense capabilities in the region.

Gen. Dickinson noted there had already existed a "coordination relationship" between the Space Force and INDOPACOM even before the establishment of the Space Force Indo-Pacific Command, but said the relationship will now mature more. (Yonhap)