North Korea attempts to launch ballistic missile; it blows up immediately

[Black Pete]

Maybe they shot it down using the new laser weapon.

[ScriptKitt3h]

[QUOTE=Black Pete;52113003]Maybe they shot it down using the new laser weapon.[/QUOTE]

I'd think it's far more likely that if the US did indeed sabotage the launch, it'd be done with cyberwarfare or espionage instead of direct action- we've not engaged the North Koreans directly yet, and until they tip their hand it'd be tactically and politically prudent to keep things discreet.

[Geel]

[QUOTE=Craigewan;52111683]Yeah, but North Korean doesn't want people to think it's harmless, it wants its enemies to tremble before it.

Their leaders have set themselves up as de facto Gods, being incompetent and harmless is actively damaging to their cult of personality.[/QUOTE]

What if that entire image is fabricated, though? What if they want us to see them as buffoons who are desperately trying to appear dangerous?

[rebel1324]

that's hot

[ultra_bright]

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;52113125]I'd think it's far more likely that if the US did indeed sabotage the launch, it'd be done with cyberwarfare or espionage instead of direct action- we've not engaged the North Koreans directly yet, and until they tip their hand it'd be tactically and politically prudent to keep things discreet.[/QUOTE]

Why? Are they just trying to piss off kim jong un?

[ScriptKitt3h]

[QUOTE=ultra_bright;52115215]Why? Are they just trying to piss off kim jong un?[/QUOTE]

It's in everyone's best interest that the North Koreans are as limited as possible in missile and nuclear tech capabilities at the moment, and the US isn't beyond acting directly to maintain that, however covert that action will be. Don't think for a moment that the US and USSR didn't do similar things to each other's missile programs (maybe not direct sabotage, but interference via espionage).

[ultra_bright]

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;52115914]It's in everyone's best interest that the North Koreans are as limited as possible in missile and nuclear tech capabilities at the moment, and the US isn't beyond acting directly to maintain that, however covert that action will be. Don't think for a moment that the US and USSR didn't do similar things to each other's missile programs (maybe not direct sabotage, but interference via espionage).[/QUOTE]

Yeah, because that totally works with an insane man with thousands of artillery pieces aimed at a densely populated capital.

If the U.S were hacking into russian missile tests during the cuban missile crisis you can bet there would have been nuclear war.