The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford said North Korea still has ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities and that the U.S. military is committed to maintaining its readiness to prepare for any contingency.

During an event at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Thursday, Dunford said that although the North's ability to combine a nuclear weapon with an intercontinental ballistic missile has yet to be demonstrated, the possibility remains. 

The JCS chief stressed the U.S. military must be prepared to defend the homeland and its allies from every possibility. 

Regarding the adjustments in joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S., Dunford reaffirmed there would be no change in the allies' combined readiness.

[Photo : YONHAP News]