‘Inevitable’ that N. Korea builds nuclear-armed missile able to reach US ‒ intel head
RT.com
23 May, 2017
The Defense Intelligence Agency has provided the first official US assessment of North Korea’s latest missile test, telling a Senate committee that the reclusive nation is on a clear trajectory to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile that could hit the US.
DIA Director Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee about worldwide threats on Tuesday, just two days after North Korea test-launched its Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM).
Although the US confirmed Sunday’s launch, American experts doubted the reliability of the new solid-fuel type for the IRBM after so few tests, Reuters reported. Solid fuel is harder to produce than liquid, but is more stable and can be transported in the missile tank to allow for a swift launch.
Pyongyang also conducted a medium-range ballistic missile test the previous Sunday, and said the rocket used has the “tactical specifications and technical characteristics” of being capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The tests allowed North Korea to move a step closer to its “inevitable” goal of developing a nuclear-armed warhead that could reach the US, Stewart said.
“If left on its current trajectory the regime will ultimately succeed in fielding a nuclear-armed missile capable of threatening the United States homeland,” he told the senators. “While nearly impossible to predict when this capability will be operational, the North Korean regime is committed and is on a pathway where this capability is inevitable.”
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