Reuters:
North Korea appears able to mount a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a missile but is still struggling with missile re-entry technology necessary for longer range strikes, a senior U.S. military official said on Thursday.
“I think they could mate a warhead with a delivery device. They’re just not sure (about) re-entry,” said the official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.
“They’re endeavoring to overcome that.”
North Korea has carried out repeated nuclear and missile tests this year in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and sanctions and claims it has the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.
Asked whether North Korea could mate the warhead to the missile, the official said: “I think they can.”
North Korea’s advancing nuclear weapons program is one of the major national security challenges that awaiting President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office on Jan. 20.
Trump has urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbor and told Reuters in May he was willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear program, in what would be a major shift in U.S. policy toward the isolated nation.
There are about 28,500 U.S. troops based in South Korea helping to defend the country against nuclear-armed North Korea, which has remained in a technical state of war with the South since the 1950-53 Korean conflict.
The official said the U.S. military was always reviewing potential responses to threats from the North, acknowledging greater attention on the issue in recent months.
