Here is some more signaling from the Trump administration to North Korea that the US is ready to react in response to any near term provocation:
Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster
U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said Sunday that President Donald Trump has ordered him to prepare “a full range of options” to the nuclear and missile threats North Korea poses to the U.S. and its allies.
McMaster also said on “Fox News Sunday” that it was a “prudent” decision to send the San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson strike group toward the Korean Peninsula, a move designed to warn Pyongyang against additional provocations.
“North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable regime, and (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” McMaster said.
“And so, the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the American people and to our allies and partners in the region,” he said. [Yonhap]
It will be interesting to see what North Korea does?
It seems for them strategically it would makes sense to wait a few months let the current tensions to blow over and have US attention focused else where before committing another provocation. Right now they have the focus of the Trump administration focused on them very closely which may mean a forceful response to any provocation they commit.
No mention of consultations with ROK, which is reportedly against any kinetic action against DPRK. Meanwhile such US provocations only encourage the DPRK strategy of attaining a defensive capability.
You mean just like that … the North would give up its nuclear weapons development if the US backed down?
And how does sailing a boat into the KTO rise to the level of being a “provocation?”
guitard
7 years ago
What I found the most surprising about this is that LTG McMaster straight up acknowledged that North Korea is nuclear capable nation (“This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable regime”).
No mention of consultations with ROK, which is reportedly against any kinetic action against DPRK. Meanwhile such US provocations only encourage the DPRK strategy of attaining a defensive capability.
You mean just like that … the North would give up its nuclear weapons development if the US backed down?
And how does sailing a boat into the KTO rise to the level of being a “provocation?”
What I found the most surprising about this is that LTG McMaster straight up acknowledged that North Korea is nuclear capable nation (“This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable regime”).
Don sounds like the reasonable sort of guy who blames the gays at that club in Orlando for committing suicide by Muslim.
I think people just like saying H.R. McMaster; it’s a fun name. :silly:
Even in Iraq people referred to him that way (3rd person, obviously not directly), not COL McMaster… weird.
HR McMaster is an Old Tanker. Our unit was not far from his in DS, they were our scouts.