Hawaii begins new initiative to defend against possible North Korean missile strike

The Hawaiian government is reportedly developing a comprehensive action plan to defend the state against a possible missile strike from North Korea.

Motherboard's Sarah Emerson recently posted the documents she received from the Hawaii Department of Defense about its new Ballistic Missile Defense Initiative. Emerson got the documents after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request for Hawaii's plans in case of a nuclear attack.

They show that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has come up with several talking points which emphasize the lack of an imminent threat but also outline ongoing efforts like monitoring the situation with North Korea, updating emergency plans, and re-assessing an old list of fall-out shelters.

North Korea's Missiles

One of the documents also acknowledges that Hawaii could be a target because of its "very high concentration of U.S. military commands."

SEE ALSO: Trump slams North Korea leader as a 'madman' who cannot be let on the loose: transcript

It also states, "It has been theorized that an intercontinental ballistic missile could travel from North Korea to Hawaii in 20 minutes."

There has been increased scrutiny on the Asian country as it continues to conduct missile tests despite international warnings; the eighth one this year occurred on Sunday.

Satellite images of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea

In 2013, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Locklear, told lawmakers that the U.S. has the capabilities to intercept a North Korean missile launched at Hawaii—in addition to the mainland and Guam—if the situation called for it, notes CBS News.

However, Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News earlier this month that the interceptors protecting the state are located in Alaska and California and has instead advocated for Hawaii to have its own system.

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