President Donald Trump has downplayed North Korea's latest missile testing activities, but a new United Nations report suggests he should be paying more attention.
The UN Panel of Experts report explains North Korea's testing of new solid-fueled short-range ballistic missiles is strengthening its ability to defeat missile defense systems — and potentially informing the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could someday reach the United States.
"The DPRK's capacity to penetrate ballistic missile defense systems has increased," the report explained.
The missiles North Korea has been testing are road-mobile, they fly low and at high speeds, and they are maneuverable.
Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, former Finance and Economics Expert on UN Panel of Experts, told 38North.org the progression is concerning.
"After considerable debate and discussion, we concluded that the DPRK, even though it hadn't conducted any ICBM (or nuclear tests) since our last report to the Council on March 5, 2019, continued to enhance its nuclear and missile programs through the short-range missile launches in May and July of 2019," she told the outlet.
"These launches showed mastery of key components of ballistic missile systems, including solid rocket fuel production, mobility through the use of different types of transporter erector launchers and the capacity to penetrate ballistic missile defense systems," she continued.
"Of course, given the integrated nature of the program, any advances in short-range ballistic missile systems contribute to the ballistic missile program's overall effectiveness."
The UN report, citing unidentified member states, said North Korea's ballistic missile program operates in such a way "that developments on the SRBM [program] benefit MRBM/IRBM and ICBM [programs]."
"This is why the spate of North Korea's short-range missile tests should concern even Trump," MIT professor Vipin Narang tweeted Thursday.
"They are not unrelated to future developments in the long-range missile systems."