The 'usual drill'? Susan Rice comment on NK nuclear test belies severity of development As a nuclear North Korea proves once again that it's improving its technology and moving close to marrying a small nuclear device with a more powerful rocket, the United States" initial reaction Tuesday was a big ho-hum. Asked Tuesday morning whether she expects a strong condemnation from the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said: "We'll do the usual drill." It was a surprising response to an international incident that was largely seen as a threat to the U.S. and one that prompted the U.N. Security Council to call an emergency meeting of world representatives. "I don't know how you come up with a more dangerous scenario than this," Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," said on Fox News. This is a very bad dynamic for us. The test counters the "ferocious" U.S. hostility that undermines the North's peaceful, sovereign right to launch satellites, it argued. Last month, North Korea's National Defense Commission said the U.S. was its prime target for a nuclear test and long-range rocket launches. The development, along with the ongoing nuclear advancements in Iran and difficulty in bringing that regime to the negotiating table, pose a daunting challenge to John Kerry as he assumes his new duties as secretary of State. Other administration officials had a tougher initial response than Rice. President Obama promised international action to bring the rogue communist regime in line. The president also spoke with South Korea's president -- according to the White House, they pledged to work to "seek a range of measures aimed at impeding North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs." All 15 members of the United Nations Security Council sharply criticized North Korea's actions and motives Tuesday and said the test poses "a clear threat to international peace and security." The council pointed out that in a resolution it approved unanimously last month stepping up sanctions for North Korea's missile test in December, it promised to take "significant action" in the event of a new nuclear test. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin work immediately on appropriate measures in a Security Council resolution," the council said in its statement. Rice, after discussing the "usual drill," said further measures would be discussed and some nations would not only tighten existing measures but add additional sanctions. She also called the test "highly provocative." The timing of North Korea's actions have been seen as significant. The test came hours before Obama is scheduled to give his State of the Union speech. While Obama is expected to focus the bulk of his comments on the economy and job creation, Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said the president would address North Korea's actions and would make the case that the nuclear program has only further isolated the impoverished nation. "The president will say that the only way North Korea will rejoin the world community is if they stop these threats and live up to their international obligations," Vietor said. Navigating the increasingly tense international waters will be up to Kerry. Rice, who was in the running for the job vacated by Hillary Clinton, withdrew her name for consideration in the wake of criticism over her comments after the Benghazi terror attack. Kerry, who was approved by Congress to head up the State Department, displayed a familiarity with a broad range of issues during his confirmation hearings but it was unclear how he'd make headway on the nuclear issues with Iran and North Korea. North Korea's detonation also comes four days before the birthday of Kim Jong Un's father, late leader Kim Jong Il, whose memory North Korean propaganda has repeatedly linked to the country's nuclear ambitions. Iran, which is in hot water with the U.N. over its own nuclear program, said Tuesday that they believe that all of the world's nuclear weapons should be destroyed. "We think we need to come to a point where no country will have any nuclear weapons," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said. He added that all countries should be able to use nuclear technology for "peaceful purposes."