North Korean Taepo-dong 2 Missile Launch in 2006 - Glimpse behind the curtain

A long time ago I used to work at USSTRATCOM as an action officer for missile defense. I was stationed there from 1996-1998 as an active duty lieutenant, then I worked as a GS-13 from 2004-2014. It was quite a job, as I was a part of our nuclear deterrent, missile defense and early warning detection.

In 2006 I was put in charge of writing the Ballistic Missile Defense Military Utility Assessment (MUA) for the command. What idiot put me in charge, I'll never know, but suffice to say it was a learning experience. Lots of trips to DC (to visit JTAMDO) and Colorado Springs (JFCC-Missile Defense) meant that I got to rub elbows with some pretty important people. Obviously that didn't help me in the long term - heh.

Anyways, in late May 2006 I was summoned to DC to speak to a portion of the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) that focused on missile defense. They wanted my opinion of how our BMDS would perform if/when North Korea launched the Taepo-dong 2 missile they were stacking. We hadn't seen it launch before, so there was keen interest in both tracking its flight path and intercepting the warhead as a "test" of our fledgling system.

I finally got through all the security and entered into the conference room, ready to go through my super-duper power point slide show that I had to vet all the way up to the 4-star at STRATCOM. I was ready. At the table there were about 10 big-wigs. I was in the peanut gallery along with roughly 20 other folks. At the table:

1) VADM David Frost (retired)
2) RADM Kathleen Paige
3) Former CIA Director James Woolsey

Sadly, I forget all the other names, as well as peanut gallery attendees, but to my defense it WAS 15 years ago. Anyways...

Someone from MDA did a presentation (I knew this person as we worked closely in the development of the MUA). It was good but boring AF. Then it was my turn. I went through my slides to an emotionless table. I thought I was falling on my sword! Finally, VADM Frost asked me point-blank:

Q: Do you think we can intercept the TD-2?
A: I think if we shot a salvo of ground-based interceptors we'd have a 75% chance of success.

I was done and sat down. What happened next was the glimpse behind the curtain. The discussion centered around the potential embarrassment if we missed, the potential for an actual re-entry vehicle having a payload (nuke, chem, bio), potential targets in Hawaii and Seattle; It was fascinating. But then Mr. Woolsey said the following:

"What if we sent a SOF (special forces) team in, shot a couple rounds between the 1st and 2nd stages of the stacked missile? I figure it'd have a separation failure around 45 seconds into launch."

There was much mumbling at the table, some spirited arguing and then the meeting ended. I was ushered out to catch my flight back home.

Fast-forward about 6 weeks. The 4th of July weekend was upon us, and I was at my dad's cabin. On July 5th the missile launched! ...and failed 42 seconds into flight, stage separation failure!

en.wikipedia.org...

How cool is that?

Them North Koreans
and their Dongs

Very cool. but shhhh!

a reply to: Avardan
Awesome narrative! This is the type of stuff I love finding out.
Thanks for sharing. VERY cool!
S&F

I'm sure that was purely coincidental........a reply to: Avardan

I can only imagine the briefing the special forces guys got for that mission ! I am sure there were volunteers as that is the way some SF guys are cut, but, if they would have been captured..... young bold and invisible who never gets captured is the mind set of many young warriors..

Great story thanks for posting

Sorry made a bad taste remark based on the name Dong, since I was beaten to it have removed this stupid comment and once again sorry about that, at least though it does not look like Bezos Rocket or does it?.

a reply to: Avardan

Infil and exfil of SF assets to NK would be extremely tricky, given how closely the boarders and coast are patrolled.

There is also the issue of an SF team making its way from the infil point to within striking range of the launch and making sure to be in position for the strike without knowing (or being absolutely certain of) the launch time; NK typically does not announce their launches prior to lift-off, and it would be extremely risky to have a strike team waiting, in place, for any length of time waiting for the right moment to execute. This would also imply that their exfil was on station, exposed, for as long as it took to recover the team.

So, I guess what I saying is that IF the destruction of that NK missle was anything other than pure coincidence, the team taking the action would most likely have to have been either indigenous, or long-term imbeded within NK.

You might have just told a more interesting tale than you at first imagined.


Come to think of it, I was told by an ex-collegue of an operation that took place in South Korea, possibly around the same time frame, involving the car bombing of supposed US "operatives" by agents of NK. Fortunately, as the story goes, the plot was discovered prior to execution, cadavers were substituted for the car's intended occupants, and the intended victims the assassination attempt were spirited out of SK before the smoking remains of their car had cooled.

Coincidence?

a reply to: Mantiss2021

They were rumoured to have obtained former soviet rocket technology and equipment but I would hazard a guess that most of what you see them parading is fake made to make them look good.

They have got missiles, they are a dangerous regime that needs to be toppled (by the people of NK if they can ever ben de-brainwashed) but with China a much bigger threat backing them and the current tensions and Chinas rampant breaking of international law and abuse of human rights as well as outright murder and organ harvesting of minority's well need I say more on that.

NK is a threat to the region but China is a bigger one and they DO have the capability albeit of an unknown quality.