07 April 2017

News Report: US Ability to Provide Warning of N Korea's Tests Diminishes - Commander

The ability of the United States to provide actionable warning about North Korea's weapons testing continues to decline, US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) commander Gen. Lori Robinson said in a written testimony on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Robinson explained that the United States finds it challenging to observe North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear test preparations because of the closed nature of the country.

At the same time, Pyongyang also relies on "robust denial and deception capabilities," which make observation difficult, according to NORTHCOM.

"Amidst an unprecedented pace of North Korean strategic weapons testing, our ability to provide actionable warning continues to diminish," Robinson stated in the testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

US Strategic Command commander Gen. John Hyten said in a congressional testimony on Tuesday that North Korea demonstrated a major advancement of its missile program during a test on February 11 by demonstrating it can launch a solid fuel rocket at a moment’s notice.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.