The top US military commander in the Pacific has said US defenses could intercept a ballistic missile launched by the DPRK.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the US Pacific Command, said Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles represented a clear threat to the United States and its allies in the region.

But he said the US was "ready" if the DPRK were to attempt a strike. Locklear added that a decision on whether any DPRK’s missile should be intercepted should be based on where it is aimed and expected to land.

The US has deployed a number of mobile missile defense systems to the Asia-Pacific region. It’s also sent a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to Guam to counter threats posed by the DPRK to the US and its allies.