WASHINGTON, D.C.: The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) it had formed a special unit dedicated to assessing North Korea’s nuclear weapons threat. The move comes as North Korea appears poised to undertake its sixth nuclear test, a move that would exacerbate jitters across East Asia. “Just as the threats facing our nation are dynamic, so too must the CIA continue to evolve to address them,” CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said. In 2015, the CIA created 10 mission centers in a modernization effort to break down the “stove-piping” of its different operations. “Creating the Korea Mission Center allows us to more purposefully integrate and direct CIA efforts against the serious threats to the United States and its allies emanating from North Korea,” said CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a statement.

Source: Manila Times May 10, 2017 22:07 UTC