North Korea's recent long-range missile tests were powered by a rare, potent rocket fuel that American intelligence agencies believe first came from China and Russia. There is no evidence that Washington has ever moved with urgency to cut off Pyongyang's access to the rare propellant - and now some officials believe it's too late. North Korea may be capable of producing its own.
From the New York Times:
Read Full Article »The United States no longer produces the fuel — NASA warned of its toxic and explosive dangers as early as 1966, producing a video that opens with a spectacular explosion. Long ago, the American nuclear fleet turned to more stable solid fuels, a move the North Koreans are now trying to replicate. But it may be a decade, experts say, before the North masters that technology to power intercontinental missiles.
The White House and American intelligence agencies declined to answer questions about what, if anything, they were doing to cut off North Korea's supplies, citing the highly classified nature of their effort to disrupt the North Korean missile program. Those efforts have included cyberattacks authorized by President Barack Obama in 2014.
