KCNA/Handout via Reuters
A view of the test-fire of Pukguksong-2 guided by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the spot, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang February 13, 2017.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made it official on Friday - the US is considering a preemptive military strike on North Korea. Recent missile tests show that North Korea really is practicing to salvo fire ballistic missiles with such volume that they defeat missile defenses and slaughter US and allied forces in Japan and South Korea.
US President Donald Trump has apparently honed in on North Korea as his most serious external challenge, and has reportedly declared them the single greatest threat to the United States. On Friday, Trump tweeted that "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years," and blamed China for not helping.
But in reality, taking out North Korea's nuclear capabilities, or decapitating the Kim regime, would pose serious risks to even the US military's best platforms.
Business Insider spoke with Stratfor's Sim Tack, a senior analyst and an expert on North Korea, to determine exactly how the US could potentially carry out a crippling strike against the Hermit Kingdom.