I guess I'm not as panicked about this NK missile issue as others.

NK is already demonstrating that at best they have a 1960's capability (that's 5 decades old technology!), and have bugs (fixable) in that. If NK is going to continue to spin its wheels on this - so what?

There is no threat by NK's action to any of the 50 states, Guam or any of the other Pacific assets.

China is to NK's north, and muzzling NK is their job. Since China has a lot of US investment, China will control NK in spite of it all.

An attack of any kind by NK upon South Korea is total lunacy, as it will do nothing other than decrease the NK population (there's little in infrastructure of value in NK). As the NK leaders would be risking their own lives in such an attack, it is doubtful they would prefer suicide to a life of privilege.

Japan is another story. The ethnic feuding between Japan and Korea involves centuries of dispute, and Japanese WWII atrocities upon Korea still reside in the memories of the seniors there, and have been reinforced on the next generation as well. Japan's concern may be real, but it is Japan's problem - and Japan has the capacity to defend itself in this regard.

So, that leaves Iran and any other rogue customer of NK technology. Iran may seem a little loony, but they are no dummies. Missiles themselves are one technology. Warheads are another. The interface of the two technologies requires a third to make it a weapon system and to control the action - safe/arm device, self-destruct, and a few more pieces - so the weapon system doesn't do more harm to the launcher and all those in travel proximity than it does to the intended target. Those who have also been in the missile business know what a complicated affair (remember, that's "Rocket Science") that missile-based weapon systems are.

The NK launch is a wake-up call. We need to make sure our defense capacity (which has a 5-10 year development and fielding window) takes into consideration the future threat with sufficient time (with a comfort factor) and funding to make whatever NK or other rogue nation attempts is a waste of their resources.

So, cuts in the defense budget - if those cuts involve research, development, test and evaluation (RDTE) and subsequent manufacture, fielding and life cycle management - are dangerous, as they jeopardize the future far worse than the interest on the national debt. It does no good to be the most solvent resident of the cemetery.