U.S. Deploys First Elements of THAAD to South Korea


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On March 6, the United States deployed the first elements of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, per a statement by the United States military. Two THAAD launch vehicles arrived to the U.S. military’s Osan Air Base late in the evening of the same day North Korea tested four ballistic missiles. The head of United States Pacific Command, ADM Harry B. Harris Jr., announced the deployment, stating that “continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday’s launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea.” The South Korean Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that “South Korea and the United States are doing their best to make the THAAD system operational as soon as possible” and that the system was needed “to protect South Korea from the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea.”

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Missile Defense Project, "U.S. Deploys First Elements of THAAD to South Korea," Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 7, 2017, last modified June 15, 2018, https://missilethreat.csis.org/u-s-deploys-first-elements-thaad-south-korea/.