The US Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, James N. Miller has said that the US’s missile defence efforts focused on a few emerging threats and also spanned the globe.

Speaking at a missile defence conference, Miller said the US would continue to focus on Iran and North Korea as “threats” existed, particularly with the former having the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. Both nations’ nuclear potential increases US strategic concerns about missile defense and other nations and nonstate actors also pose a significant threat. The approach will bring together sea, land and spacebased systems in four phases of deployment through 2020.

In Asia, the US is partnered with key allies including Japan, Australia and South Korea to enhance missile defense. Japan now has a layered ballistic missile defense capability that includes US tracking systems, interceptors, early warning radars and a command-and-control structure that integrates those technologies. China is a key component of security strategy in the Pacific, Miller said.