Militants Eyeing Seaborne Attack, U.S General Says

It is “only a matter of time” before militants try to launch a seaborne attack on the United States, but threats of terrorism are greater abroad because they are avoiding hardened U.S. targets, a senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday. General Ralph “Ed” Eberhart, who as head of the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is responsible for defending U.S. land, sea and air, also said North Korea posed the greatest threat to the United States of any country — as opposed to non-state actors such as al Qaeda — even as Washington tries to negotiate with Pyongyang. Eberhart, who is also head of the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said the danger of a seaborne attack was one reason why he advocated a modification of NORAD’s bi-national mission to include the seas as well as the skies. “I believe it’s just a matter of time until the terrorists try to use a … maritime attack against us,” he said. “I believe that attack could come in terms of bringing a ship into port, whether it’s (carrying) high explosives or whether it’s weapons of mass destruction.” Full Story