Newt Gingrich on Thursday said that the United States had better get serious about ramping up its own military defenses rather than trying to figure out just how serious North Korea is about its threats and capabilities.
"We need a dramatically better defensive capability because these guys may be serious," the Fox News contributor said on "Fox & Friends."
"We're not prepared today, either in Seoul, Korea … or in our own major cities to deal with a possible outcome," Gingrich said.
Gingrich cited a study that said North Korea may have 60 nuclear weapons before issuing a chilling warning.
"I just think people are not prepared for that reality," Gingrich told Fox News.
"We need to evaluate, what is an American city worth? It's not about Guam, it's about Seattle or Cincinnati or Chicago or New York. What's an American city worth?" Gingrich asked rhetorically.
"And we had better build the defensive systems that'll stop any attack on an American city. … I think this has got to be done on a crash basis, cutting through the red tape much like the Manhattan Project," Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he doesn't "care if they fire missiles in international waters" because the U.S. does it all the time, but severing North Korea from the world and shutting down its economy could put the rogue nation over the edge, resulting in desperation.
"We're not prepared today for a North Korean attack on a scale they could launch. I'd like to see us dramatically expand our defensive capabilities before we push North Korea to the wall," Gingrich said.
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