North Korea Watch:North Korea Warns of Nuclear War

South Korean protesters with defaced a poster of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and flag stage an anti-North Korea rally against explains of Kim Young Nam who is believed forcibly taken to the North in 1978, near the presidential house in Seoul, Friday, June 30, 2006.

AP: N. Korea Warns of Nuclear War if Attacked

North Korea is ready to answer a pre-emptive U.S. military attack with an “annihilating strike and a nuclear war,” the state-run media said Monday. The Korean Central News Agency, citing an unidentified Rodong Sinmun newspaper “analyst,” accused the United States of increasing military pressure on the isolated communist state.

The North Korean threat of retaliation, which is often voiced by its state-controlled media, comes amid U.S. official reports that Pyongyang has shown signs of preparing for a test of a long-range missile.

Does this mean the United States and Japan may assume that the Taepodong-2

misslile North Korea presumably has fueled and ready to fly is an offensive threat and not a SLV or a test flight?

Once North Korea achieved nuclear weapons status we knew they would use them. So, is there a surprise?

The three options of the United States:

Preemption

Interception

Negotiation

remain viable with the third being increasing doubtful.

The Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, which houses NORAD â€“ charged with monitoring the North Korea situation â€“ is now at “Bravo-Plus.”

Other air bases in Colorado, California and Florida are also on heightened alert status.

There are five levels of alert: normal, Alpha (low), Bravo (medium), Charlie (high) and Delta (critical). â€œBravo-Plusâ€ is slightly higher than a medium threat level.

The Cheyenne Mountain Air Station And Buckley Air Force Base are among four installations in the country at the higher alert level ordered last week by then- Acting-Commander of Air Force Space Command, General Fred Klotz.

Space Command would not comment on the reason for the security increase.

The order also affects Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Patrick air force base in Florida.

Missile Defense Agency interceptors are based at Vandenberg Air Force Base and Fort Greely, Alaska as well as at sea.

Picture released on June 16 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. North Korea has offered the United States talks on its missile launch plans, indicating it might put off a flight test that has raised tension and drawn sharp international warnings.