US Department of Defense "Monitoring North Korea's Plan to Launch Third Reconnaissance Satellite"

The U.S. Department of Defense stated on the 31st (local time) that it will "continue to monitor" North Korea's plan to launch its third reconnaissance satellite.

At a briefing that day, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder responded to a question about why North Korea has not launched the reconnaissance satellite this month as previously announced, saying, "We will not comment on information that we may or may not have."

He emphasized, "We have been clear about our extended deterrence commitments," adding, "We are also working closely with regional allies such as South Korea and Japan." He further stated, "We will continue to consult closely with our allies to maintain the capabilities necessary to prevent any type of regional issues."

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks at the briefing, spokesperson Ryder announced that on the 1st of next month, an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Minuteman-3 is scheduled to be test-launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.