Guam has 14 minutes to alert if DPRK fires missiles: official

If the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fires missiles toward Guam, they would take about 14 minutes to reach the island and the alert system there would notified the public, Guam's Homeland Security Office said Thursday.

U.S. Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of Combined Forces Command, center, salutes with incoming Deputy Commander Gen. Kim Byung-joo, left rear, and outgoing Deputy Commander Gen. Leem Ho-young, right, in a car, as they inspect honor guards during a change of command and change of responsibility ceremony for Deputy Commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Force Command at Yongsan Garrison, a U.S. military base, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. U.S. and South Korean military officials plan to move ahead with large-scale exercises later this month that North Korea, now finalizing plans to launch a salvo of missiles toward Guam, claims are a rehearsal for war. [Photo: AP/Lee Jin-man]

Jenna Gaminde, spokeswomen of the Guam Homeland Security, was quoted by local newspaper Pacific Daily News as saying that residents would be immediately notified by sirens of the 15 All-Hazards Alert Warning System, located in low-lying areas throughout the island.

All-Hazards Alert Warning System, which began installation in 2014, is a system designed for all hazards, including tsunami, earthquake,and flash flood, among others.

"Our office will be notified by the military and will utilize all forms of mass communication to get the message out to the public," Gaminde said, adding that people should tune into local media - radio, print, television - for further instructions, if they hear the sirens.

Meanwhile, the report said that the military on the island continued to maintain standard operations amid threats and there's no change in threat level.

According to Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), a non-profit organization dedicated to generate public support for missile defense systems in the United State, Guam is covered by a U.S. missile defense system deployed permanently by the Defense Department at Andersen Air Force Base, which includes the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and the AN/TPY-2 radar system.

The DPRK military said in a statement Thursday that its plan to strike Guam with intermediate missiles will be ready by mid-August and its implementation will depend on a decision by DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un.

It was a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's unusually stern warning to the DPRK on Tuesday, when he said "North Korea (DPRK) best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."