'"The United States continues to closely monitor the North Korean nuclear program and calls upon North Korea to honor its international obligations," Little added.
Still later Thursday, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, issued his own statement, saying he concurred with Little.
"I would add that the statement read by the member (Lamborn) is not
an intelligence community assessment. Moreover, North Korea has not yet
demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear
armed missile," Clapper said.The DIA conclusion was confirmed by a senior congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pentagon had not officially released the contents. The aide said the report was produced in March.
Since the beginning of March, the Navy has moved two missile defense ships closer to the coast of the Korean peninsula, in part to protect against a potential missile launch aimed at Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. The Pentagon also has announced it will place a more advanced land-based missile defense on Guam, and Hagel said in March that he approved installing 14 additional missile interceptors in Alaska to bolster a portion of the missile defense network that is designed to protect all of U.S. territory.
On Thursday, the Pentagon said it had moved a sea-based X-band radar — designed to track warheads in flight — into position in the Pacific.
Notably absent from that unclassified segment of the report was any reference to what the DIA believes is the range of a missile North Korea could arm with a nuclear warhead. Much of its missile arsenal is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan,red bottom shoe outlet but Kim has threatened to attack the United States as well.
