The top two officials at Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency resigned following a false missile alert blunder earlier this month, state authorities said on Tuesday.

Their resignations came the same day the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revealed that the employee who pushed out the alert thought an actual attack was imminent. This revelation contradicts previous explanations from Hawaiian officials, who claimed an employee pressed the wrong button on a drop-down menu.

A false alert that read "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL" caused a statewide panic in Hawaii earlier this month. The alert came amid heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington regarding the testing of ballistic missiles in North Korea.

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The false ballistic missile alert caused widespread panic

'Exercise' gone wrong

The emergency management worker, whose name was not disclosed by the FCC, was fired last Friday. The employee has confused real-life events and drills in the past, the FCC said in a report. His poor performance had been documented for more than a decade, and other employees of the team said they were not comfortable working with him.

The worker heard a recorded message that began by saying "exercise" three times, a standard script for a drill, the FCC said. The recording then used language that is typically used for a real threat, including the words "this is not a drill," before ending by saying "exercise" three more times.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Major achievement In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Trouble with warheads At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength US running out of patience? Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Testing the boundaries Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Whole of US within range? Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength One of the world's largest militaries Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Vast capabilities According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Enemies all around Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.

ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.



Read more: Japan public TV sends false North Korean missile alert

No procedures were in place for the worker to double-check with a colleague or get a supervisor's approval before sending the alert out to cellphones, TV and radio stations across Hawaii, the FCC said.

The employee was directed to send a cancel message once the false alert was sent, but instead "just sat there and didn't respond," according to an internal state investigation into the incident. Another employee had to take over the computer and send the correction because the worker "seemed confused."

Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency has already taken steps to avoid such a situation in the future, said the FCC, including requiring more supervision of drills and alert and test-alert transmissions as well as creating a correction template for false alerts. The agency has also stopped ballistic missile defense drills until its own investigation is finished.

dv/aw (AP, Reuters)