Can likely build missile to reach U.S.

The Pentagon says North Korea is likely able to build a missile that can reach the continental U.S., but it hasn’t tested such a weapon and the odds of effectiveness are low. A Pentagon official says the technology likely exists and could be launched from a road-mobile vehicle, making it difficult to monitor by satellite. He addresses claims that North Korea hasn’t achieved key breakthroughs, such as creating a nuclear warhead small enough to fit into a missile:

Personally I think that they certainly have had the expertise in the past. They’ve had the right connections, and so I believe they have the capability to have miniaturized a device at this point, and they have the technology to potentially actually deliver what they say they have. We have not seen it tested. And I don’t think as a commander we can afford the luxury of believing perhaps they haven’t gotten there.