"Bravo Plus" Just Above Medium Threat Level

Analysts say there was no way the United States was in any danger from Tuesday's series of missile firings from North Korea... but US officials are calling the incident a "provocation," and that likely means the military is hardly going to stand by and do nothing.

But was the US gearing up for the worst? The Washington Post reports the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was placed on heightened security in the past two weeks, just as the situation between the US and North Korea deteriorated and it became clear the communist regime was about to do... something.

Michael Kucharek, spokesman for NORAD and the US Northern Command at Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, says the current "Bravo-Plus" status is slightly higher than a medium threat level... and while it affects the level of security at the base, it did not change operations at NORAD.

Kucharek wouldn't confirm the change was related to the rumored Chinese missile tests... but he did reaffirm the military's position on the matter.

"We continue to monitor the situation (in North Korea) and are looking for and will defeat any threat to the United States and its territory," the spokesman said.

FMI: www.norad.mil