U.S. military ups missile defense readiness over North Korea tests

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday it has increased the readiness of its ballistic missile defense forces in the region following a barrage of ballistic missile launches by North Korea."The United States condemns the recent series of ballistic missile launches" by North Korea, including the most recent launch on Saturday, the command said in a press release, emphasizing its concerns over "the significant increase" in Pyongyang's missile testing activity.Pyongyang has conducted nine series of missile tests so far this year. It also hinted in January it could resume nuclear and inte…READ FULL ARTICLE