North Korea, Iran's Missiles Remain A Significant Concern For US - Shanahan

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North Korea, Iran's Missiles Remain a Significant Concern for US - Shanahan

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2019) The missile capabilities of US adversaries such as North Korea and Iran continue to play a significant role in America's defense strategy, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Thursday during the rollout of the 2019 Missile Defense Review.

"While we are forging a new path to peace on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea's missiles remain a significant concern, so do Iran's," Shanahan said during his address at the Pentagon.

Earlier on Thursday, the Trump administration rolled out the 2019 Missile Defense Review - a new strategy intended to set the path to strengthen the United States' missile defense capabilities and make the case for urgent investment in new ones.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood told reporters on Thursday that as North Korea produces additional systems and they grow in sophistication, the United States response must be robust and effective.

"North Korea has a long range missile capability that's capable of reaching the United States," Rood said. "The sizing construct for the size of our missile defense force will be sufficient to outpace the scale of the North Korean threat."

The situation on the Korean Peninsula remained tense for decades over the North Korean missile and nuclear tests carried out in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has improved since beginning of 2018 during which time North and South Korea concluded important agreements and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump held a historic summit in Singapore. The two leaders concluded an agreement stipulating that North Korea would make efforts to promote the complete denuclearization of the peninsula in exchange for the United States and South Korea freezing their military exercise and a potential lifting of US sanctions.