海角大神

Lawmaker drops bombshell: North Korea may have nuclear missiles

An unclassified Pentagon report not yet released to the public suggests that North Korea can arm missiles with nuclear warheads, a lawmaker revealed Thursday.

The results of a classified Defense Intelligence Agency report indicate that 鈥�North Korea now has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles.鈥�

That was the bombshell out of a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

It came when Rep. Doug Lamborn (R) of Colorado began quoting from what he said was an unclassified version of the DIA report, which has not yet been made public.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, the nation鈥檚 top military officer, appeared caught off-guard. The Pentagon has in recent days sought to strike a balance between words of warning to the North and attempts to calm the situation. General Dempsey's reaction suggested that he was not pleased to have the DIA assessment made public, as it could further stoke anxieties over what is already a enormously tense international standoff.

Representative Lamborn read from the report toward the end of a defense budget hearing.

鈥淭hey say, 鈥楧IA assess with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles. However, the reliability will be low.鈥� General, would you agree with that assessment by DIA?鈥� he asked

鈥淚 can鈥檛 touch that one,鈥� Dempsey answered.

The problem was that the report hasn鈥檛 been released, he said. 鈥淪ome of it鈥檚 classified, some of it鈥檚 unclassified.鈥澛�

Lamborn tried asking the question again, heedless of the sensitivity of the topic. 鈥淭his is public; this is unclassified, so I can make it public.鈥�

鈥淎nd your question is do I agree with the DIA鈥檚 assessment?鈥� Dempsey repeated.

鈥淵es,鈥� Lamborn responded.

鈥淲ell,鈥� Dempsey answered, 鈥淵ou said it鈥檚 not publicly released, so I choose not to comment on it.鈥澛�

Only a day ago, Dempsey told reporters during a Pentagon briefing that 鈥渢he proximity of the North Koreans to achieving a miniaturization of a nuclear device on a ballistic missile ... is a classified matter.鈥�

If North Korea does have nuclear-armed missiles, it could strike South Korea, Japan, or US forces in Japan. It could perhaps also hit Guam, but Hawaii and the mainland US are out of the North's missile range, according to US intelligence estimates.

North Korea is expected to launch a missile soon as a show of defiance against the West. The administration said Thursday there is no indication that the missiles readied for launch are nuclear-armed, media reports said.

The exchange between Lamborn and Dempsey was not the only enlightening information about North Korea to emerge from Capitol HIll Thursday. At a different hearing, senior US intelligence officials were sharing some of the most telling details yet to emerge about the personality and motivations of the North's new young leader, Kim Jong-un.

They speculated on what, precisely, Mr. Kim鈥檚 reasons might be for what has largely been seen as a reckless ratcheting up of tensions in the region 鈥� behavior, officials divulged, that appears to be exasperating even Kim鈥檚 closest ally, China.

It seems, for starters, that Kim does not have a great deal of emotional intelligence, US officials indicated during testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

鈥淯nlike his father, I think he鈥檚 underestimating the Chinese frustration with him and their discomfiture with his behavior,鈥� said James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

鈥淗e impresses me as impetuous 鈥� not as inhibited as his father became about taking aggressive action,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he pattern with his father was to be provocative and then to sort of back off. We haven鈥檛 seen that yet with Kim.鈥�

Kim spent his period of grieving for his father 鈥� 鈥渢o the extent that he had [a grieving period],鈥� Mr. Clapper observed 鈥� with officials from North Korea鈥檚 military and security services.

鈥淪o, clearly they have influenced him鈥� in some of his aggressive posturing of late.

But though his father has passed away, family does continue to influence him, often for the better. 鈥淚 do think that his uncle and his aunt do have some tempering influence on him,鈥� Clapper said.

So, too, does the time he spent in the West, attending school in Switzerland.听

鈥淚 found it very interesting that the minister of economics that he just appointed was someone who was purged in 2007 for apparently being too capitalist-minded,鈥� he added. 鈥淪o clearly he does recognize, since he鈥檚 spent time in the West ... that economically North Korea is in an extremis situation. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out 鈥� if the new economics minister avoids another purge.鈥�

As far as Kim鈥檚 intentions regarding his bellicose actions? 鈥淚 think his primary objective is to consolidate, affirm his power. And much of the rhetoric 鈥� in fact, all of the belligerent rhetoric of late, I think 鈥� is designed for both an internal and an external audience,鈥� Clapper added. 鈥淏ut I think first and foremost it鈥檚 to show that he is firmly in control in North Korea.鈥�

So, does Kim have an endgame in mind, one lawmaker wanted to know.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think, really, he has much of an endgame other than to somehow elicit recognition from the world 鈥� and specifically, most importantly, the United States 鈥� of North Korea as a rival on an international scene, as a nuclear power, and that entitles him to negotiation and to accommodation and, presumably, for aid,鈥� Clapper said.

The bottom line is that 鈥淜im Jong-un has not been in power all that long, so we don鈥檛 have an extended track record for him like we did with his father and grandfather,鈥� said John Brennan, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, who also testified before the committee.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why we are watching this very closely to see whether or not what he is doing is consistent with past patterns of North Korean behavior.鈥�

What does seem clear, officials told lawmakers, is that Kim does not appear to have the restraint his father had.听

鈥淐learly, he鈥檚 off-pattern with his father,鈥� Rep. Mike Rogers (R) of Michigan, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, observed. 鈥淓ven folks who specialize in the region say this: 鈥業f you鈥檙e ever going to be concerned, this is the time to be concerned.鈥� I鈥檓 just curious as to your assessment.鈥�

鈥淲ell,鈥� Clapper responded, 鈥淚 agree with you.鈥�