Pentagon says can defend against North Korean ICBM threat

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it was capable of defending the United States against the "nascent" threat posed by North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability following Pyongyang's first test of an ICBM on July 4.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis noted a successful test last month in which a U.S.-based missile interceptor knocked down a simulated incoming North Korean ICBM.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish)