Alaska governor calls for more defenses amid N. Korea threat

• 08.13.2017, 14:06
•  World

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker says he didn’t think North Korea would be able to strike the state with a nuclear warhead until 2020. But spiraling rumors about the country’s missile capabilities and its leader Kim Jung Un’s recent comments – coupled with President Donald Trump’s statements – have led to him saying the state needs to expand its military presence.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Walker said earlier this week to Politico he was concerned about North Korea’s threats to the U.S. and its claims that missiles can hit Alaska. But he says “no one’s hiding under the desk.”

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s senior U.S. senator, says the military has been diligent and has a Long Range Discrimination Radar under construction, which will give missile defenders a better look at what is happening over the Pacific Ocean.