Alaska lawmakers concerned about possible North Korean strike

ByKARMA ALLEN ABCNews logo
Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Following North Korea's announcement that it is "carefully examining" plans to launch a missile attack on Guam, lawmakers in Alaska -- which is closer to the rogue nation than other parts of the U.S. -- are expressing concern about an attack on their state.

An Alaska senator said he is worried about a possible North Korean missile attack on his state and the rest of the country.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan said during an interview Tuesday that he is concerned about a possible attack on the state, which North Korea says is within its missile-firing range.

"There's concern, but there's also pride," Sullivan said on Fox News' "The Story," explaining that such pride is fueled by the fact that "Alaska is the cornerstone of our nation's missile defense."

Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any threats to the U.S. "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

Alaska Governor Bill Walker also expressed "concern" about a possible North Korean strike hitting the state.

"No one's hiding under the desk that I know of at this point," Walker said in an interview for POLITICO's "Off Message" podcast that was released on Tuesday. "But we do have to make sure we have the technology and awareness of what could happen."

North Korea conducted two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month that experts say highlighted the communist country's growing threat.

Both missiles were fired at highly lofted angles and landed at sea near Japan, but analysts told The Associated Press that the weapons could reach Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at a normal, flattened trajectory.

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