With very few resources to wage war with, a starving population and an under-developed nuclear weapons program, North Korea’s threats shouldn’t be taken seriously.

While it may have nuclear devices, North Korea does not have nuclear weapons or missiles that have the range or accuracy to reach the United States.

The U.S. defense intelligence agency released a classified report last month that they are “moderately” confident that North Korea “currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles however the reliability will be low.”

North Korea’s current nuclear devices are no bigger than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima. To put it in perspective, if North Korea detonated their largest nuclear device in Falcon Square, the effects of the blast would only be felt as far as the 91 freeway, according to NuclearSecrecy.com.

Luckily, our government’s large defense budget allows for several nets of protection that can intercept a missile heading our way.

We should expect many empty threats from North Korea since their government needs the muscle flexing to impress their own population.

The North Korean style of government relies heavily on its people believing that their leaders and armed forces are fearless and powerful.

While the North Korean government may know that we won’t fall for that bluff, they still have to maintain the illusion of power and greatness to their people by standing up to the mighty U.S. while threatening to unite the Korean peninsula with war.

This illusion has to be proven again by a man leading a country that is filled with pictures and statures of his father everywhere.

There have been many movies within the past year that depict North Korea invading the U.S. or taking over the White House. Movies like “Red Dawn” and “Olympus has

Fallen” grossly overstate the military power of North Korea.

The North Koreans only have enough resources for a few months of war, whether they are invading the U.S. or South Korea. Realistically, North Korea could never occupy the U.S.

As Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto once said, “You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.”

There is no doubt that eventually North Korea will have the technology to attack any part of the globe within their missile range.

Before that happens, we must use military deterrents as political tools while trying to open up direct channels of communication with North Korea to de-escalate tensions regardless.