North Korea has been steadily working toward its first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and, according to several news reports, the Bush Administration believes such a test now is possible at any time. (The International Herald Tribune reported similar grim tidings late last month.) However, according to Voice of America, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Sunday on Fox News that the US and other governments were working within the UN to ensure that Pyongyang adheres to its 1999 agreement not to fire ICBMs.
Fresh off a meeting of the national armaments directors of NATO and the European Union, Pentagon acquisition and logistics chief William A. LaPlante said the allies and partners are moving toward not simply interoperable munitions, but “interchangeable” as well. The 45 directors met to discuss how they will provide military…