North Korea must still overcome "important shortfalls" in developing a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile before it can field a weapon capable of hitting the U.S., according to the Pentagon's intelligence agency.
Kim Jong Un's regime "continues efforts to expand its stockpile of weapons-grade fissile materials," but "there is still a lot of development needed before" it can deploy a weapon such as a mobile ICBM able to reach the U.S. mainland, Navy Cmdr. William Marks, a Defense Intelligence Agency spokesman, said via email.
The agency's answers to questions about the nuclear program come as tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high after Kim's repeated weapons tests in violation of United Nations resolutions. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump deployed an aircraft carrier battle group and a nuclear submarine to reinforce defenses in the region. Trump has vowed Kim's plans to develop a nuclear weapon capable of striking the U.S. "won't happen."