U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis warned North Korea to stop its missile tests and nuclear program or face devastation.
The news comes after dictator Kim Jong Un threatened to attack U.S. forces in Guam after revelations that his regime now has mini-nukes.
“The DPRK must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Mattis said in a statement, referring to North Korea. “The DPRK should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.”
The statement goes on to state, “President Trump was informed of the growing threat last December, and on taking office his first orders to me emphasized the readiness of our ballistic missile defense and nuclear deterrent forces… The DPRK regime’s actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours and would lose any arms race or conflict it initiates.”
“We always maintain a high state of readiness and have the capabilities to counter any threat, to include those from North Korea,” Lt. Col. Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, told CBN News.
Mattis has previously testified before the House Appropriations Committee that a fight with North Korea would be “more serious in terms of human suffering” than anything since the original Korean War ended in 1953.
“It would be a war that fundamentally we don’t want,” Mattis said at the time, but “we would win at great cost.”
Full Statement From General Mattis:
“The United States and our allies have the demonstrated capabilities and unquestionable commitment to defend ourselves from attack. Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council’s unified voice, and statements from governments the world over, who agree the DPRK poses a threat to global security and stability. The DPRK must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The DPRK should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.
President Trump was informed of the growing threat last December and on taking office his first orders to me emphasized the readiness of our ballistic missile defense and nuclear deterrent forces. While our State Department is making every effort to resolve this global threat through diplomatic means, it must be noted that the combined allied militaries now posses the most precise, rehearsed, and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth. The DPRK regime’s actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours and would lose any arms race or conflict it initiates.”