US not prepared to respond to North Korea missile launch

The US can do nothing to stop North Korea from firing a missile and it is unlikely to be shot down by allies, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said.

Gates told Fox News that North Korea "probably will" fire the missile. When asked if there's nothing that could be done, he said, "No.. I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."

Last week, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of US forces in the Pacific, said the US is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile. But Gates said such a response is unlikely.

"I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii, that looked like it was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it," Gates said. "But I don't think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point."

North Korea has moved a missile onto a launch pad and says it will be fired by April 8. Pyonyang insists the missile is designed for carrying a communications satellite, not a nuclear warhead that the secretive nation appears bent on developing.

Gates said while he doesn't think North Korea has the capability yet to shoot off a long-range nuclear-tipped missile, "I don't know anyone at a senior level in the American government who does not believe this technology is intended as a mask for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile."

Gates conceded that North Korea will likely get away with thumbing its nose at the international community by test-firing the missile. He also said that six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions have been largely fruitless.

Gates also said Japan is unlikely to shoot down a North Korean missile unless it drops debris on the island nation.