North Korea is expected to possess 50 ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of carrying nuclear warheads by 2035, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), a branch of the U.S. Defense Department.
The DIA's assessment, which outlines current and emerging threats to the U.S. homeland, highlights growing concerns over the rapid advancement of missile programs by North Korea, as well as other adversarial nations including China, Russia, and Iran.
"North Korea has successfully tested ballistic missiles with sufficient range to reach the entire Homeland," the report stated.
The agency forecasts a sharp rise in North Korea's ICBM arsenal from the current estimate of 10 or fewer to 50 by 2035. For comparison, China's stockpile of ICBMs is projected to grow from 400 to 700 during the same period. Russia's count is expected to increase from 350 to 400, while Iran, which currently has no ICBMs, is anticipated to develop up to 60.
The DIA defines ICBMs as ground-based missiles with ranges exceeding 5,500 kilometers, typically carrying one or more nuclear warheads and following a ballistic trajectory.
Meanwhile, North Korea's military posture continues to intensify. On Wednesday, state-run media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised combined tactical drills involving special operations and tank subunits. The exercises took place a day earlier, according to Yonhap News Agency, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"Saying that our revolutionary armed forces are now in charge of not a few fronts, but the most important among them is the anti-imperialist class front and making full preparations for war is the most crucial task," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
He further stated that the combat drills would help "turn the whole army into an elite ranks."
Kim's emphasis on the "anti-imperialist class front" appears aimed at justifying North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. State media photos from the drills showed North Korean soldiers in camouflage operating drones.
South Korea's intelligence agency previously reported signs that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia and were being trained in drone tactics by Russian forces.
Last month, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it had dispatched troops to support Moscow in the conflict. During a recent visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, Kim described the North's participation in the war as "justifiable," calling it an exercise of sovereign rights under a mutual defense treaty with Russia.
