The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency said Thursday that North Korea is months away from perfecting its nuclear weapons capability.
Korea JoongAng Daily reports that CIA Director Mike Pompeo made the comments at a security forum hosted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative think tank.
“They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective, we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving that objective,” Pompeo was quoted as saying, referring to Pyongyang’s growing capability to strike the US with a nuclear-armed ballistic missile.
“They are closer now than they were five years ago, and I expect they will be closer in five months than they are today, absent a global effort to push back against them,” said the CIA chief. “That is each test, successful or unsuccessful as defined in the West, continues to develop [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un and his engineers’ and scientists’ knowledge base. They are intent upon completing that whole chain of activity.”
Pompeo was reportedly referring to the North’s missile re-entry and nuclear warhead miniaturization technology.
“We are at a time where the president has concluded that we need a global effort to ensure that Kim Jong-un doesn’t have that capacity,” he said.
I see you’ve been fishing Galen. Caught a Red Herring eh!
Galen Linder "These people are not suicidal," As the NK regime bears all the hallmarks of a personality cult/dynasty, I wouldn’t be to sure about that, there have been a number of lesser ones of that type, that have done just that. This is just on a national scale. THAAD is a defensive method, not an offensive, so your inference that it is somehow the latter, is without foundation. And what reason is there, apart from the protestations of NK, China and Russia, who would love to see SK come under their domination, to remove US forces from the peninsular, which is keeping that from happening. Your true allegances are showing through. Is that your secret.
" then they must stand aside, and be prepared to accept any remedial action taken."
Meaning what? Another illegal war?
I will let you in on a little secret. The current tension in the Korean Peninsula suits the US just fine. Without it, it would have to withdraw its troops, including the THAAD. You see, it is all about encircling China and Russia. Korea has nothing to do with it. And of course, everyone in the bowels of the US government know there is no way NK will attack the US with nuclear weapons. These people are not suicidal, you know, contrary to US propaganda. Same with Iran.
FWIW, the FDD is an Israeli front.
Agree. And if there are any that believe they will not use them, when, not if, they are in possession of enough, or they have submarine or other seaborne, by stealth method (referrencing to the unidentified surface ship detected under construction, A Q ship possibility), then they should set their minds at rest from wondering, and realise the truth of NK’s aims. It should be a Russian and Chinese responsibility to reign in and prevent this continued obstinancy by NK, having been it’s willing creators and assistants, but will they? Will they actually join in, in such an effort. If they won’t, then they must stand aside, and be prepared to accept any remedial action taken.