A Pentagon spokesman Thursday said he couldn't confirm the specifics, but he said it is well known that North Korea has been developing long-range missiles for years.

"While I cannot confirm information that might disclose matters of intelligence, I can tell you that the United States will continue to work closely with other like-minded countries to address North Korea's missile efforts," said Lt. Cmdr. Alvin "Flex" Plexico, press officer for Pacific region issues in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for public affairs.

The Jane's article, which did not identify its sources, said North Korea is close to deploying two missiles--one land-based that can be moved on roads and another submarine-based.

The land-based missile has a maximum range of 4,000 kilometers, or about 2,485 miles, according to Jane's.

That puts all of mainland Alaska and much of the Aleutian Islands out of range. Fairbanks and Anchorage are both about 3,700 miles from central North Korea.

Adak Island, where the military plans to station a mobile X-band radar on a converted oil drilling platform for the national missile defense system next year, is about 2,850 miles distant.

The only Alaska military installation within the missile's reported range is on Shemya Island, which lies at the western end of the Aleutian Islands and just about 2,400 miles from North Korea. The Defense Department operates the Cobra Dane long-range radar there. It is being upgraded for use with the missile defense system.

The New York Times quoted an unidentified U.S. official saying the new land-based missile couldn't reach the United States "mainland."

The submarine-based missile described by Jane's has a range of 1,500 miles. However, the Times said U.S. officials doubt the North Korean military has a submarine capable of getting that close to the U.S. with the missile.

Jane's said the North Korean military obtained 12 scrapped Russian subs from a Japanese company starting in 1993.

The North Korean program has been cited as one justification for the U.S. national missile defense system. Six years ago, North Korea launched a missile over Japan. Some defense experts claim part of the missile reached Alaska or Alaska waters, though no official confirmation of that assertion has been made.

Others, though, see the current missile defense system as a poor response to the North Korean threat.

"A limited missile-defense system--which is the most we can expect over the next decade--is more likely to multiply than nullify this threat," Slate online magazine's military columnist Fred Kaplan said in a July 27 opinion piece.

Kaplan said the U.S. essentially has entered a mini-arms race with North Korea. North Korea only needs to produce offensive missiles at a rate somewhat below the U.S. production of missile interceptors to stay ahead strategically.

Plexico said North Korea isn't improving its position by developing long-range missiles.

"We have repeatedly made clear that these developments do not enhance North Korea's security in any way and only add to North Korea's estrangement from the international community and its neighbors in particular," Plexico said in a prepared statement.

Washington, D.C., reporter Sam Bishop can be reached at sbishop@newsminer.com or (202) 662-8721.