Former CIA director James Woolsey told Newsmax TV he is worried North Korea might launch a satellite that will have the ability to mount an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States.
Woolsey spoke with host John Bachman on Tuesday's edition of "Newsmax Now."
"We have to be ready to act . . . We may have to take out their satellite launch capability because that's the way they would produce electromagnetic pulse," Woolsey said. "They don't need to have an intercontinental ballistic missile to strike the United States. All they need is to put something in orbit, which is by the way the easiest thing to do in space.
"We got to be in a position to shoot the satellite down, and if you're trying to get on its first pass, it means you have to shoot it down within about a 30-second to one-minute window early in the boost phase. Once it gets further and you can't shoot it down with destroyers, it's too late."
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Later in the interview, Woolsey expressed agreement with a report by former NASA scientist James Oberg, who said North Korea is trying to hide its satellite launches from spy satellites.
"I think Oberg's right on the money," Woolsey said. "He is one of the few experts other than the people who are on the EMP Commission who has got this right and a number of people just don't want to talk about it.
"I'm not quite sure why there is reluctance to face this, but it's something we got to face or we will have no way of stopping an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, which can destroy our electric grid for a substantial period of time."
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