The United States is certain it can defend itself from an attack by North Korea, the Defense Department said Tuesday after Pyongyang warned it was close to test launching a ballistic missile.
"We remain confident in our ballistic missile defense and in our defense of our allies and our defense of the homeland," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a news briefing.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, in a New Year's speech Sunday, said the country was "in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile."
In 2016, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches last year alone in its quest to develop a nuclear weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.
"We would once again call on the North Koreans to refrain from provocative actions," Cook said.
Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realizing its full nuclear ambitions, especially since it has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Read the full story at SpaceDaily