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April 12, 2013

U.S. Officials Cast Doubt on Intel Report About North Korea's Nuclear Prowess 
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U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed Thursday neither North
Korea nor Iran is capable of attacking the United States with a
nuclear-armed missile. Hagel's comments came the same day news broke the
Pentagon's intelligence division had concluded with "moderate
confidence" North Korea now knows how to make a nuclear weapon small
enough to be carried by a ballistic missile. Doubt was quickly cast on
the report. James Clapper, director of national intelligence, said in a
statement "North Korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of
capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile." Pentagon
spokesperson George Little also downplayed the report, saying, "It would
be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested,
developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced."
The analysis was released by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which a
decade ago was among those to argue adamantly and incorrectly that Iraq
had weapons of mass destruction. On Thursday, President Obama met with
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and called on North Korea to end what
he termed its "belligerent approach."

President Obama: "Nobody wants to see a conflict on the Korean
Peninsula, but it's important for North Korea, like every other country
in the world, to observe the basic rules and norms that are set forth,
including a wide variety of U.N. resolutions that have passed. And we
will continue to try to work to resolve some of those issues
diplomatically, even as I indicated to the secretary-general that the
United States will take all necessary steps to protect its people and to
meet our obligations under our alliances in the region."

 

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