FORT GREELY, ALASKA (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has not ruled out pumping more funds into the nations anti-missile defense budget if North Korea threatens the United States. If there were a launch from a rogue state such as North Korea, I have good confidence that we would be able to deal with it, Gates said Monday during a stopover in Alaska on his way home from a trip to Asia. Gates was visiting Fort Greely which houses parts of the US anti-missile defense shield-a land-based system with about 20 interceptors-and said of Pyongyang that its behavior has certainly alarmed people. In the past Gates proposed slicing a billion dollars off the anti-missile system budget and freezing the development of interceptors at 30, instead of the 44 originally planned. But he indicated he might re-examine his proposal. My recommendation to the president was for the fiscal year 2010 budget, its not a forever decision, the defense secretary said. And if capabilities in one of these rogue states should develop faster, or on a more worrisome way than anybody anticipates right now, then I think the way is opened in the future to add to the number of silos and interceptors up here. There are fears North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile, after defying global condemnation of its second nuclear test last week by firing a series of short-range missiles.