WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Pentagon spy agency concluded with “moderate confidence” that North Korea has the ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles but the weapons would probably be unreliable, officials said on Thursday

A study dated last month by the Defense Intelligence Agency appeared to be the first time the Pentagon spy agency had reached such a conclusion and illustrated the high stakes surrounding the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea has the ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, although they would likely be unreliable, a Pentagon spy agency has concluded, as the United States and South Korea kept watch on Thursday for a missile test-launch by Pyongyang.

The Defense Intelligence Agency study, dated last month, appeared to be the first time the agency had reached such a conclusion.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) – The Pentagon proposed a
$526.6 billion budget on Wednesday that calls for closing bases,
slashing the civilian workforce and scrapping arms programs,
holding out hope the U.S. Congress might still opt for an
alternative to even more draconian cuts already on their way.

The proposed 2014 fiscal year budget would let the U.S.
Defense Department implement new spending reductions of $150
billion over the next decade rather than forcing it to carry out
the $500 billion in automatic cuts known as sequestration that
began on March 1.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon unveiled a $526.6 billion budget on Wednesday that calls for base closures, program cancellations and smaller pay increases, but which is still $52 billion higher than spending caps set by law, putting the department on a path toward another year of financial uncertainty.

The Defense Department request for the 2014 fiscal year beginning on October 1 asks Congress to implement a series of politically difficult cuts, involving a new round of base closure proceedings, increased healthcare fees and slower military pay increases.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration is poised to roll out a 2014 defense budget that is billions of dollars higher than legally mandated spending caps, setting the stage for another year of financial uncertainty and turmoil at the Pentagon, defense analysts say.

The White House will propose a $526.6 billion defense budget on Wednesday when it unveils its spending plan for the fiscal year beginning October 1, U.S. officials say. That is $51 billion above the spending caps set by a 2011 law aimed at controlling government deficits.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Monday he would ask Congress to change U.S. military law to eliminate the power of senior commanders to alter courts martial verdicts for major crimes like murder or sexual assault.

The decision follows a controversial ruling in which a senior military commander in Europe set aside the sexual assault conviction of an Air Force officer, throwing out his one-year prison term and dismissal from the service.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it will soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described as a “real and clear danger” from Pyongyang.

North Korea has threatened a nuclear strike on the United States and missile attacks on its Pacific bases, including in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, since new U.N. sanctions were imposed over the country’s third nuclear weapons test in February.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it will soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described as a “real and clear danger” from Pyongyang.

North Korea has threatened a nuclear strike on the United States and missile attacks on its Pacific bases, including in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, since new U.N. sanctions were imposed over the country’s third nuclear weapons test in February.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the U.S. military on Wednesday to brace for a new round of belt-tightening as he carries out a sweeping review that could slash the number of generals, pare back civilian workers and stem spiraling costs of new weapons.

But Hagel, in his first major policy speech, also warned that the United States could not allow its current fiscal and budgetary crisis to force it to retreat from its role in the world.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday that most of the Pentagon’s 800,000 civilian employees would be placed on unpaid leave for only 14 days this year instead of 22 after Congress approved a measure easing pressure on the department’s budget.

“We are going to be able to reduce and delay … but not eliminate furloughs,” Hagel told a Pentagon news conference. “Right now it looks as though we’ll be able to go from an original estimate of 22 days to 14.”