The United States plans to develop a new radar to deploy to Alaska to better defend against North Korean ballistic missiles, a senior defense official said Thursday.



Brian McKeon, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, made the remark during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, saying the Pentagon is making various efforts to cope with ballistic missile threats from the North and Iran.



"It includes funding for the development of a new radar that when deployed in Alaska will provide persistent sensor coverage and improved discrimination capabilities against North Korea. It also continues funding for the redesign of the kill vehicle for the GBI," he said. GBI stands for ground-based interceptor.



McKeon also said the U.S. is on track to deploy 14 additional interceptors in Alaska by the end of 2017.



"These interceptors along with the 30 that are currently deployed will provide protection against both North Korean and Iranian ICBM threats as they emerge and evolve," he said, referring to intercontinental ballistic missiles. "We've also deployed a second forward base missile defense radar out to Japan, which is operating today." (Yonhap)