WASHINGTON (Dispatches)— An American attempt to gauge the military's ability to shoot down medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles failed Wednesday night, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Japan Ministry of Defense.
At approximately 7:20 p.m local time, a medium-range ballistic target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii and was tracked by the USS John Paul Jones. The ship launched a SM-3 guided missile, which failed to intercept the target, the agencies said in a statement.
The U.S. and Japan are working together to develop the SM-3, which is designed to take down medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
Program officials will analyze the test data to determine what went wrong.
This was the fourth flight test using an SM-3 missile, and the second intercept test.  
According to the U.S. military’s recent declaration, the United States has 806 deployed ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missile), SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missile), and heavy bombers as well as 1,722 deployed nuclear warheads.  
The Pentagon is also equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), a highly advanced version of the intercontinental nuclear missile carrying several independent warheads.
On Thursday, a U.S. official said North Korea had carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile trials this year, could be for the smallest stage of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) rocket engine, Reuters quoted the unnamed official as saying.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was elected last month, inspected the test-launch of a ballistic missile on Friday that is being developed by the South's military.
"I believe in dialogue, but dialogue is possible when it's backed by strong defense and engagement policy is possible only when we have security ability that can overwhelm the North," Moon was quoted by his office as saying at the test site.
Moon's office did not disclose the details of the missile being tested, but South Korea has been working to develop ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km (500 miles), a voluntary cap under an agreement with the United States.
Moon told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Thursday that strong new sanctions would be needed if the North conducted a new nuclear test or an intercontinental ballistic missile test and that he planned to call on Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a greater role in reining in Pyongyang's arms program.
However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman questioned such calls.
"When the world says that it hopes China can do even more, I don't know what 'do even more' refers to," Geng told a daily news briefing in Beijing on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although U.S. officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.
The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.