Special to WorldTribune.com

Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, in charge of U.S. nuclear missile forces, confirmed on Thursday that North Korea is developing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

Screen grab of a a North Korea test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile / Arirang

Adm. Cecil D. Haney, the commander, also told Congress that China is developing a new multi-warhead, road-mobile missile. The four-star admiral made the comments in prepared testimony for the Senate Armed Services Committee. …

The comments were the first official U.S. government confirmation that North Korea is working on a new underwater missile capability and comes as the regime in Pyongyang has tested nuclear weapons and claims to have miniaturized a weapon to fit on top of a missile. …

U.S. intelligence agencies detected the first flight test of what the Pentagon is calling the KN-11 SLBM in February. It was considered a significant advancement for North Korea’s program to build a nuclear-capable missile that can be fired from a submarine.

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