White House: U.S. can defend against nuclear strike

A Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block 1A interceptor was launched from the USS Lake Erie during a Missile Defense Agency and Navy test in the Pacific Ocean on Feb. 12. The USS Lake Erie successfully intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target that was launched from Kauai’s Pacific Missile Range Facility. The U.S. is fully capable of defending itself against a North Korean ballistic missile attack, the White House said today, after Pyongyang threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States. (Courtesy Missile Defense Agency)