It is pretty clear that the Kim regime is signaling to the US that they can launch an ICBM at any time and any place of their choosing with the midnight launch of their latest ICBM:
Korean Central Television’s footage of North Korea’s Hwasong-14 ballistic missile on July 28, 2017
North Korea’s state-run television on Saturday disclosed edited footage of its test-fire of an intercontinental range ballistic missile conducted the previous night.
According to the video footage that runs 2 1/2 minutes, the Hwasong-14 missile was moved on a transport erector launcher, known as a TEL, before being fired from a ground-based launch pad.
The method of launch was similar to one disclosed in separate TV footage released on July 5 following North Korea’s first intercontinental range ballistic missile launch.
Earlier, Pyongyang’s official KCNA claimed that the North successfully launched another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Friday night following its first test in early July, noting that the missile flew 998 kilometers for about 47 minutes into the East Sea after reaching a maximum altitude of 3,724.9 km.
In the footage unveiled by Korean Central Television, a TEL with eight wheels on each side drove slowly to the launch pad in Mupyong-ri in the country’s northern province of Jagang, carrying the Hwasong-14 missile aboard.
The missile was then placed upon the ground-based launcher and erected to an upright position. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link and below is a Youtube video showing the launch of Hwasong 14:
Ewww, you’re so scary. Cough, cough…It didn’t have a payload on it. If it did then they couldn’t ewww “launch at anytime/place” ewww.
Any time? Any place? Maybe not. How much preplanning, staging, and duplicate hardware was involved?
I don’t believe tbey are “operational”, although they are certainly a threat.
Be a shame if a fire broke out on the launchpad while they were loading a live nuke.