North Korea Calls Hawaii and U.S. Mainland Targets

[Paul E Ester]

1. North Korea says ready for combat as sanctions tighten

The Pentagon condemned North Korea's rhetoric, saying it was designed to "raise tensions and intimidate others."

"They need to stop threatening peace on the peninsula. That doesn't help anyone ... and we stand ready to respond to any contingency," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters.

The Pentagon has declined to define the range of North Korea's rockets, saying it is classified. But Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged on March 15 that one type of North Korean missile likely had the range to reach the United States.

South Korea's defense ministry said it saw no sign of imminent military action by North Korea and most military analysts say Pyongyang will not risk a conflict with the United States that it would lose.

South Korea and the U.S. military are conducting military drills until the end of April, which they have stressed are strictly defensive in nature. The North accuses Washington of war preparations by using B-52 bombers which have flown over the Korean peninsula as part of the drills, and it has abrogated an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Pentagon said there have been three such flights by U.S. B-52 bombers since March 8, with the most recent one on Monday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/us-korea-north-combat-idUSBRE92P0V220130326